Closer To You
by Twob3happy
Summary: Sometimes life leads us to just the right place at just the right time, and for Callie Torres, Arizona Robbins is just what she needs. AU
1. Chapter 1

Most characters are not mine and are only borrowed.

Chapter 1

Arizona comes storming into the office, huffing and puffing. "Did you see that? I can't believe someone did that!"

"See what?" Teddy asks, as she places a file in the cabinet and turns back around to see a soaked Arizona Robbins.

Standing in the reception area, Arizona is soaking wet, from head to toe. Her hair is wet and she is reaching up to wipe a water droplet away that is getting ready to fall from the tip of her nose.

"Someone stole it! Completely stole it, right out from under me. The nerve of them!"

"Ok, the only thing I can think of that was stolen, would be your umbrella."

"Teddy! I'm not talking about my stupid umbrella. I'm talking about my stupid spot. My parking spot has been the same spot for ten years now. Nobody but me has parked there. Until today. Someone had the nerve to swoop in and take it, right when I was pulling up. I don't even recognize the stupid car either. Everyone around here has had the same car for years now. This car is some stupid, new fancy thing. Probably parked itself," Arizona huffs.

"If that's the case, is it really the owner's fault?"

"Teddy. I'm being serious here."

"Me too. If it parked itself, then maybe the owner had no control over it. You know, those new Teslas can drive themselves. The owners can play games and read while driving because they never have to touch the wheel. I know because I was watching some YouTube videos the other day on them."

"Why would you watch YouTube videos on cars driving themselves? That's stupid."

"You know, I've heard you say stupid more in the past two minutes than I have in two years."

"Because... someone took my stupid spot! And then I had to park a block away and walk in the rain!"

"Apparently without an umbrella. Why don't you get your thong out of a twist and go change your clothes? Remember, I made you start keeping a change of clothes in your closet after that patient puked on you."

"I remember. I'll be back. It's probably something two sizes too small," Arizona grumbles and disappears into her office. She comes back out a few minutes later, now in dry clothes. She has her hair pulled back into a ponytail and refreshed her makeup. "There. At least I'm dry now."

"Good. Your first patient of the day just walked in. And yeah, I think those pants are a little snug. Someone will appreciate it, just not me," Teddy says, shaking her head, laughing.

"Shut it," Arizona says, turning to see the mom and daughter in the waiting room. "Zoey, are you ready? We will see if those ears look better today." Zoey and her mom stand and follow Arizona into the room.

Teddy walks to the window and looks out to see what all the fuss was about. Sure enough, a shiny black car is sitting in Arizona's spot. "Yep, that happens again and she will lose her shit. She is one spoiled woman," Teddy mumbles, walking back to her desk as she sees the next young patient walk in.

Several hours later, Arizona's last patient for the day has left. She walks to the window and looks out. "That stupid car is still there. Did you see anybody around it today?"

"No. But, I did not stalk the car today," Teddy says amusedly. "I kind of had more important things to do. So I couldn't tell you."

"Well, you could have just happened to have been looking out the window and seen something, that's all. Oh...wait. Teddy, get over here," Arizona says, motioning for Teddy. "Look at her. That woman… she just walked out of that empty office space over there and she is heading straight for the car. Why would she be in there all day? There's nothing there."

"Got me," Teddy says, peeking through the blinds. "Hmm. She is hot. I'm surprised you are still hiding here and not out the door yet, shoving her into that fancy car so you can have your way with her."

"Shut up. But... she is hot," Arizona says, peeking back out through the blinds. "Very hot, actually," Arizona says, biting her lip. After a second of admiring, she comes back to her senses. "But that's no excuse for taking my spot."

"To be fair, your name isn't on that spot, Arizona. Other people can park there."

"Everyone has let me have that spot for ten years, Teddy. It's my spot. Everyone knows it."

"You're being ridiculous."

"No, I'm not, I... Get down!" Arizona says, shoving Teddy down below the window, causing Teddy to fall and hit her head, while also pulling the blinds down from the wall.

"Ouch! What the hell? Why did you shove me down?"

"Because, she was looking right at the window. I didn't want her to see me!" Arizona yells.

Sitting up, Teddy looks out the window to see the lady watching the window and shaking her head. "Too late. She saw," Teddy smirked, rubbing her head.

"Damn it. It's all your fault. You didn't get down quick enough! Wait... you know what?" Arizona stands and stomps to the door. "I'm going to go out there and tell her she can't park there."

"It's an unofficial spot. You can't keep someone else from..." Teddy was cut off as the door slammed shut behind Arizona. "parking there. That's ok... go out there and make yourself look like an idiot," Teddy finishes saying to the back of the door.

Teddy scooted back up to where she could see out the window, even raising it a little so she could hear what she assumed was going to be an outrageous conversation.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Arizona says, as the woman goes to open her car door.

The woman turns around and Arizona's breath hitches. She obviously didn't get a good enough look at this woman from inside the office, because the woman standing in front of her was more than hot. She was absolutely stunning. Tan skin, beautiful brown eyes, full lips that look so luscious. Oh, what she wouldn't give to...

Breaking her from her thoughts, the woman clears her throat. "Yes?" The woman let's go of the door handle and waits for Arizona to start speaking, but Arizona just stands there. The woman decides to help her out, starting to be amused by this blonde woman. "Is there something I can help you with? Need help fixing those blinds?"

"Oh... I'm um, Arizona. Robbins. Dr. Arizona Robbins. And this is my office. Right here," Arizona rambles, pointing to her office behind her, shaking her head, getting frustrated with her lack of coherent speech.

"That's nice," the woman says, offering a small amused smile, wondering what this blonde, bumbling woman, wants. "So, I'm assuming those were your blinds you pulled down too?"

"Um, yeah. They were. And this," she says pointing to the parking spot, "is my parking space."

"What?" The brunette woman asks, looking around, not understanding quite what the blonde is trying to say.

"This spot. it's mine."

Looking back at Arizona, she says, "I'm sorry, but I didn't see a sign that said 'no parking' or 'reserved' or... a sign with your name on it," she says chuckling.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because. You seem to think you own this spot, and if I know anything about city laws and that sort of thing, it looks like this is unrestricted public parking."

"It doesn't have a sign. But it's mine. I always park here. For ten years, I've parked here. But today, you swooped in, right in front of me, and stole it. You were in my spot," Arizona grumbles, "and I had to park around the block. And I got soaked walking to the office because it was pouring rain. Luckily I had an extra change of clothes in the office."

"I see. Well, you look nice," the brunette says, nodding, trying to hide a smirk.

"Are you being sarcastic? Because, it kinda seems like you are. And, I know they are too small, but this," she says, pointing down at her outfit, "well, it's all I had," Arizona says, wondering what the woman is thinking.

"Not at all. I hadn't noticed that those pants were way too small. It's just, I have a sweater just like that," she says, pointing to Arizona's flowered sweater, "Well, I guess... I did. My mother made me get rid of it my freshman year of high school," she says, making Arizona realize she is in fact making fun of her. "But, it sounds like you really, really needed an umbrella," the woman nods. "Anyway, if you'll excuse me, it was nice meeting you, but I really need to go. I'm late for a meeting." With that, the brunette opened her door, got in, and pulled out, leaving the blonde woman standing there, wondering what just happened.

Arizona went thundering back into her office, slamming the door and causing a picture to fall slightly to hang crooked. "I can't believe her."

"What did you tell her?" Teddy asks, sitting down at the edge of the desk, acting like she hadn't already heard a word of what was just said.

"That she was in my spot and that I got soaked walking in this morning."

"And... what did she say?" Teddy asks, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"That it sounded like I really needed an umbrella, and that my outfit looked nice and she hadn't noticed my pants were too small but that she had a sweater just like this, but her mom made her get rid of it. In high school," Arizona says, huffing, causing Teddy to bust out laughing. "Why are you laughing. That's not funny."

"It is, you just don't realize it yet," Teddy says, as she continues to laugh. "She was totally making fun of you. And she knows how tight those pants are on your ass."

"Teddy, I swear, I'm going to punch you."

"Go ahead. We both know how that will end. It will end with you whining because your girly hand got hurt," Teddy laughs. "But at least you aren't doing surgery anymore, so it's not a big deal."

"Shut up. Hopefully that's the last I see of her."

"Do you really think that? Because, she really was hot. Even I have eyes to see that. Did you even get her name?"

"No. I didn't ask."

"You will regret that later tonight when you are thinking about her and don't know what name to yell out."

"Shut up Teddy. I need to go. I have a date."

"Oh, with who?" Teddy raises her eyebrows.

"Kasey."

"The girl with the tattoo?" Teddy asks, making a face.

"Yes. The girl with the tattoo. What's wrong with a tattoo?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. I have one. Mine just doesn't have a skull and crossbones on it."

"She said she was drunk when she got it. I'm not going to hold that against her."

"Well, technically you are. Because you are going to be holding that skull and crossbones against her every time you grab her boob. Who gets a boob tattoo anyway? Ouch."

"She's tough. I like it."

"Whatever. See you tomorrow. You need a ride to your car or are you good to walk around the block?" Teddy smirks.

"Shut it," Arizona huffs, walking out the door.

...

"I'm not kidding. She was spying on me through the binds! Then she proceeded to knock them down," Callie says, laughing. "Then she comes running out barely able to speak, like a cat had her tongue or something. Then when she did find her voice, she tells me I am parked in her spot. Total piece of work. Pretty arrogant."

"Did she introduce herself? Who was it?" Mark asks.

"Um, she was a doctor, surprisingly, though she acted like a teenager," Callie huffs. "Um, Robbins, I think it was."

"Oh…yeah. No wonder she was acting like the cat had her tongue. She is a lady-lover. She is used to having her tongue wrapped up in some p…"

"Mark! Stop! I don't wanna hear about it." Callie says, holding her hand up.

"What? Why not? You used to like hearing all the gossip."

"You don't even live here. How the hell do you even know about her?"

"When I came to scout out the office space for you, I hit the bar for a drink and she came in. I made a move and she turned me down. Then, this hot woman with tattoos came in and hit on her, and then they left together. The bartender was telling me about her. Said she is one heck of a woman but I didn't stand a chance with her. Then he laughed."

"Hm. Well, I don't have time for gossip. I am a woman with a mission, and gossip will just get in my way. I am in a new town with a new start... I want to make my own decisions about people. Plus, I want to make sure I stay focused and get this office open. I have a great feeling about this place and can't wait to get to work. I need to work. The sooner I am making money, the sooner I can tell George to shove his..."

"Well, maybe if you get bored, I'm sure Dr. Robbins would be interested in showing you first-hand, all about being tongue-tied. Let me know if that happens," Mark says with a smirk.

"You're gross. Stay out of other peoples' sex lives. And you know me better than that. I have never thought about a woman like that. Worry about your own sex life anyway… or lack of it."

"I have a great sex life. I have been out with the same chick several times now. But, if you need my services...," Mark says, with a smirk.

"No. I think I'm good. Been there, done that, not doing it again."

"Well, it was good while it lasted, you know. But, just so you know, the small-town guys aren't as generous as they are in L.A. They are a little more old-fashioned around here.

"Nothing wrong with that Mark. Besides, with going into the city every weekend, I don't have time for that anyway."

Nodding, Mark sadly smiles. "How is she doing?"

"The same," Callie says, looking down at her napkin. "No change. I keep hoping, but I think I might have to make a decision soon."

"I'm sorry to hear that. George didn't care that you moved her?"

"Nope. I think he is relieved. Less he has to worry about."

"He's an ass. I don't know why you ever dumped me for him. I'm here if you need me. I wish I could have helped you out in the office today."

"There wasn't anything to do today. I was just kind of planning things out. I just sat there. The workers will be there in the morning. I'll be there to boss them around but they are going to do all the hard work."

"Well, I need to get going. It's getting late, and contrary to popular opinion, I really have given up staying out all hours of the night. I think I'm finally ready to settle down."

"You say that right after you tell me you hit on Dr. Robbins the last time you were here, then say you are seeing a woman, but then ask me if I need your services."

"It was a one-time thing with Robbins, and she was hot, so I had to try. Even if you aren't into chicks, you can't tell me you didn't see it."

"I guess."

"I guess, my ass. She is hot. And with the current chick, she is actually a good woman. I'm proud of myself. And with you... I knew you would turn me down anyway," Mark says with a wink. "So, good luck tomorrow. I don't make it this way very often, but I'm close enough to be here if you need anything, ok? And I'm not talking about sex," he says, as Callie scoffs at him. "I know you have had a rough couple of years, and your ex is as worthless as they come. And, if something happens with..." he says, giving Callie a sad smile, then I am here. Maybe I can even go visit with you one weekend.

"I'd like that," Callie says, getting up to give him a hug. As she does, she sees the door open and Arizona walk in. Arizona is wearing a short black dress and her hair is pinned up on one side. She can see how Mark would think she is hot. Pulling back, Mark gives her a kiss on the cheek, and goes to pay the bill. As she is waiting on Mark, she notices another woman walk in, also dressed up, and walks up to Arizona.

Arizona reaches over and grabs her hand and kisses her cheek. She can tell she is talking to the woman but can't hear what is being said, however she can clearly hear the giggles the other woman is letting out. Mark turns around after paying, and holds his hand out for Callie to take, catching Arizona's eye landing on Callie as he does. He notices the double take Arizona does when she sees Callie.

Mark winks, grabs Callie's hand, and pulls her out the door. "Boy, she sure noticed you," Mark laughs, as they exit the door. I saw her girl toy hitting her because she did a double take when she saw you.

"Stop it. She is still mad over her stupid spot."

"Think what you want, but I think she could be putty in your hands," Mark smirks. "Well, I gotta go. When are you moving into your house?"

"The movers will be here Thursday. I'm staying in a hotel for the next two nights."

"Well, like I said, call if you need anything. I know you are a very capable woman, but I'm still here if you need me."

"Thank you, Mark. I don't know what I would do without you."

He winks, gives her one last kiss on the cheek, and heads to his car. While Callie watches Mark leave, she realizes she forgot her jacket in the restaurant, so she heads back in to grab it. She walks back to the booth and grabs and makes her way to the door once again. On her way, she passes Arizona and her date as they are escorted to their table.

Callie decides to play with fire a little bit, still aggravated at the nerve of this woman over her spot. "See you tomorrow... Dr. Robbins," she says, winking at Arizona as she continues to walk, not giving the blonde a chance to say anything. She is well aware that comment would do nothing but aggravate the blonde to no end, and for some reason, it excites her.

As she opens the door, she can't help but giggle to herself when she hears the woman with Arizona saying, "Did she just wink at you? Why did she wink at you?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Teddy starts her day about an hour before Arizona does. She comes in to the office to make sure files are ready and organized for the day and takes care of some general housekeeping duties. Their nurse, Mandy, comes in about a half hour later, then Arizona comes in about the same time as the first patient arrives. Usually.

Teddy has been here for about a half an hour, and is sitting at her desk, just waiting for what is about to happen. She knows full well that when her boss and best friend arrives, she will make her entrance by barreling through the door. It isn't going to be a pleasant entrance but is rather going to be like watching fireworks explode.

As Teddy hears the commotion outside the door, she knows the show is about to commence. "Here we go..." she says aloud to herself, hearing Mandy chuckle from the next room. Mandy was sick yesterday, and wasn't here for the goings on, but Teddy made sure to fill her in.

The door flies open and in comes Arizona. An umbrella with rain dripping off of it in one hand and a duffle bag in the other. She drops the duffle bag with a thud and lets out a loud huff.

"Good morning," Teddy smirks.

"Teddy, I swear, I don't know what she is doing, but at this point, I think she is just doing it to tick me the hell off."

"How far away did you have to park today?"

"Same spot I was in yesterday. I mean, what the hell? Never seen the woman before and now, two days in a row, she is stealing my spot!"

"Again... it's not really your spot."

"Do not start with me Teddy..." Arizona says, as she shakes her head.

"I'm just saying..." teddy says as she studies her friend. "Did you not get to hold the skull and crossbones against tattoo girl last night? Because you seem really tense," Teddy says, trying not to chuckle.

"Teddy, I can find a new secretary," Arizona huffs, picking up her umbrella and fastening the Velcro that holds it together, then dropping it in the basket by the door. "I'm sure Addie would love a job."

"Hey, I'm being the best friend right now, not the secretary. Work doesn't start for another... twenty minutes," she says, looking at the clock. "Which brings me to my next question. Why are you here early?"

"Because, I was trying to make sure I got my spot. I didn't think Bonnie over there would be here that early," Arizona says, pointing behind her towards the door.

"Bonnie? I thought you didn't know her name."

"I don't. But, you know... Bonnie and Clyde. That woman is a thief and keeps stealing my spot, so, that's her new name."

"Hm," Teddy says, watching Arizona head to the window and peek through the blinds.

"What?" Arizona asks, as she looks back to see Teddy still watching her.

"So, you really didn't sleep with tattoo girl last night?"

"No. It was late and I was tired."

"Arizona Robbins... too tired to seal the deal? My, my..." Teddy laughs.

"Ugh!" Arizona snarls. "I wasn't tired. She was too busy growling because Bonnie over there winked at me, right in front of her."

"What? You and tattoo girl saw her? And she winked at you?"

"I was on my date and she was on a date with some guy, who actually tried to hit on me not too long ago at the bar."

"If she was on a date, why did she wink at you?"

"They had already left, then she came back in for something and she was by herself. We passed her on our way to our table. She told me she would see me tomorrow, meaning today, then winked. As you can see, that was obviously her way of saying she was going to take my spot. Again."

"You know, you wouldn't be complaining if she were trying to mess with your g-spot," Teddy says, laughing. She is finding herself pretty witty at the moment.

"Are you kidding me right now? Shut up."

Teddy continues to laugh for a few seconds, even hearing Mandy come out of her office laughing, before finally sobering up. "At least your clothes are dry today. I hope you have a pair of extra shoes in that bag. I got really tired of hearing your shoes squeak all day yesterday."

Arizona does nothing but glare at Teddy and Mandy, pick up her bag, and do a squeaky stomp to her office, that causes them to erupt in another fit of laughter.

"I don't think I have laughed this much in ages," Teddy says to Mandy.

Teddy gets up to go look out the window, just in time to see some equipment trucks stopping in front of the empty offices across the road. They are double parked, so they begin to unload materials fairly quickly as Teddy sees Bonnie outside directing them. Where she was wearing a nice pant suit yesterday, today she is dressed very casually in jeans, running shoes, and a t-shirt.

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh, just…looking," Teddy says, heading back to her desk, hoping to avoid the next bout of yelling from the little, feisty blonde.

Arizona looks at her doubtfully and makes her way to the window to see what Teddy was looking at.

"What the hell? She is moving stuff in? That means…. Crap," Arizona stops and shakes her head. "That means she probably leased the space and now…and now..." Suddenly letting go of the blind and gasping, Arizona's face goes red.

"What's wrong with you?" Teddy asks, amused.

"She looked right at the window and waved, winked this stupid exaggerated wink, and then walked right back inside."

Teddy lost it once again. "I love it. I'm going to have to go meet her. I think she and I would make great friends!" Laughing so hard, she begins to snort, causing Arizona to glare and retreat back to her office.

"If you can quit laughing by then, let me know when my first patient arrives. I need this day to go by fast. I already need a drink," she says, just causing Teddy to snort again.

xxxxx

Across the road, Callie notices Arizona looking out her window several times throughout the day. Callie is pretty sure she is annoying the blonde doctor to no end now, and can't help but chuckle each time she sees her at the window. She is pretty proud of herself for her "wave, wink, and dash" earlier. That's a known way to tick someone off. What Arizona doesn't realize is that she isn't the least bit stealthy when she does it, which makes it that much funnier to Callie.

Callie spends the day sitting back and directing the workers, not really needing to be here, but, it's something to do. She signed papers on the office space and her new house yesterday, before coming to spend the day and contemplate how she wants her offices set up and making a few final notes for the contractors. Mark had done an excellent job of getting her pictures and blue-prints so she could have the contractors ready to go after the signing. She decided to make a few changes after arriving yesterday, but all in all, she is very happy with the plans.

Callie is in orthopedic doctor and is planning to have her very own practice, for the first time. She has always worked in larger hospitals, but over the past two years, she has decided she wants to go smaller, set her own hours, and have more control over what surgeries she wants to do or not want to do. She has worked with the local hospital to come to an agreement which gives her hospital privileges for surgeries. Deciding to take care of a few errands, she heads to the local paper a few blocks down to put a help wanted ad in tomorrow's edition. She will need a nurse, receptionist, and a maintenance/janitor employee.

After finishing with the ad, she makes a stop at the small book store to pick up some reading material for the weekend, then heads back to the office.

"Mrs. Torres, I have a question for you," Matt, the lead contractor says, as she walks back in the door.

"Sure. What's up?" Callie asks. "Well, I have a small issue. Some of the electrical stuff is going to need totally redone. I need to put a call in to the electric company but I wanted to show you this..." he says, as he leads her further back into the building.

After a pretty deep discussion on electrical stuff that is way over Callie's head, that lasted way longer than she wants, she decides she needs a drink. She asks the contractors the best place to go, and when everyone is done for the night, way past when they should have been done, she heads to their recommended location.

xxxxx

"Ok, that's the last patient for the day and I am ready for a drink. If you are going with me, you are not giving me crap about anything for the rest of the night," Arizona says, sliding her jacket on.

"You don't have a hot date with tattoo girl again?"

"Um, no. I couldn't convince her I wasn't flirting with Bonnie last night. I told her the story about the parking spot and she thought I was just making that up."

"Wonder why she would find think that..."

"So... I see you aren't going with me then." Arizona says, making a face as she turns the lights out.

"No, no… I'm going. I happen to think you are getting too worked up over this Bonnie lady, but I won't give you any more crap tonight."

Arizona doesn't say anything but just nods her head, holding the door open for Teddy.

xxxxx

Walking into a place called Jax, Callie looks around and finds that it's a little more crowded than what you would expect for a Wednesday night. She finds a small table towards the middle of the room, and makes her way through the crowd to have a seat.

When the waitress comes to take her order, she orders something she hasn't had in a long time, a beer. While married to George, she was never able to go to a regular Joe kind of place. It was always private clubs or high-end establishments, and never just a basic drink. It was always something way classier that was expected.

After her beer is brought to her and her food order taken, she hears a somewhat familiar voice. She looks over to the bar and sees none other than Dr. Robbins, with another woman this time. She sees the woman with Dr. Robbins turn and look her way, then back to Dr. Robbins. Where Dr. Robbins is a bright blonde, the other woman is more of a dirty blonde. They are having a colorful conversation as the dirty blonde turns to look at Callie a few more times before finally turning away from the doctor and making her way to Callie.

"Hey, is this seat taken?"

"Um... no." Callie says, wondering where this conversation is going to go.

"Hi. I'm Teddy. Teddy Altman. I'm Arizona's best friend slash secretary."

"Nice to meet you Teddy," Callie says, not offering her name, just yet.

"So, you are new in town?" Teddy asks, trying to start the conversation that Arizona insisted she not have to begin with. Arizona had just started to relax after keeping an eye on the goings on across the road all afternoon when they saw the brunette walk in.

"Yep," Callie says, taking a sip of her drink.

"So, you met Arizona yesterday and it seems you have really made quite the impression on her," Teddy says, laughing.

"Really? I haven't noticed," Callie says, raising her eyebrows and laughing.

"I'm sure you haven't," Teddy says, laughing along with her.

"She seems to be easy to rile up and I have to say, I can't help but find it amusing. And it's weird because I usually go the extra mile to try to make someone else happy. But, I just... I don't know. I can't explain it. I just find this funny for some reason."

"I have to tell you, I have laughed more the past couple days than I have in a long time. So... job well done at getting under her skin."

"Thank you, I guess?" Callie chuckles as she and Teddy both look over to where Arizona is leaning forward on her barstool, trying to hear any of their conversation. As soon as she sees Teddy and Callie look her way, she hurriedly spins back around on her barstool, to make it not look like she had not been watching. Just her luck, she kicked a little too hard to spin back around, and the stool spins a little too easily, causing Arizona to fly into the floor, knocking her beer off the counter in the process.

Laughter is the first response from Teddy and Callie both, as a shocked Arizona scrambles to right herself and stand up, much to the amusement of everyone else around as well. Luckily the beer spilled on the opposite side of the bar, saving her from ruining another outfit.

Once she is standing up, she sits back on the stool and refuses to look back over to where Callie and Teddy are sitting.

"So, she seems pretty coordinated," Callie chuckles.

"Yeah, so it seems," Teddy chuckles. "Well, I just wanted to introduce myself and aggravate her, and I would say mission accomplished," Teddy says, as she goes to stand, but then pauses. "I see you are moving stuff in across the road. If you need anything, just let me know. I'm in the office every day."

"Thanks. Oh, and I'm Callie. Dr. Callie Torres. I'm putting in Torres Orthopedics."

"Seriously? That's amazing," Teddy smiles.

"Yep. That's the plan anyway. So, if you know of anyone with any secretarial or nursing experience, send them my way."

"You know, we were just talking about a friend of ours today that used to work for the dentist. He was in an accident and had to close. She would be excellent."

"Really? That's amazing. If you don't care, send her my way."

"I'll do that. It was nice to meet you. I better get back before she excuses me from best friend duties," Teddy says laughing.

"It was nice to meet you too," Callie says, smiling.

Callie watches Teddy walk away and back to Arizona, where Arizona flips around and starts talking a mile a minute. Laughing to herself, she finishes her food and orders another drink.

Across the bar, Arizona is really animated, getting onto Teddy for actually leaving her to go talk with the enemy. "I can't believe you went over there. The woman is evil," Arizona remarks, looking back over her shoulder at the brunette.

"I hardly think so. I thought she was very pleasant and she seems very nice, actually."

"Are you on something? She has done nothing but give me a hard time since yesterday."

"I know. But, she has done nothing to me. And, you may as well get used to her, because she isn't going anywhere."

"So, she is really opening something up across the road?" Arizona asks.

"Yep. Seems like your nemesis is also a doctor. And you can quit calling her Bonnie. Her name is Callie Torres. She is opening up Torres Orthopedics.

"What? I've read about her! She is like... a genius. She... she created cartilage from scratch. I have read about her but I have never seen a picture before. Hm," Arizona says, looking back over her shoulder to see that Callie is standing and heading for the dance floor.

"You now find her not only very hot, but also intriguing," Teddy grins, watching her.

"No, stop it. I'm just telling you what I read. That's all. I still think she is spiteful and I don't care to know her."

As Callie heads to the dance floor, she can sense eyes on her. She turns around and catches Arizona watching her walk onto the dance floor. Callie quickly turns around, smiling to herself. She blends in with the crowd and dances. It has been ages since she has done this, and she is having a blast. For a few minutes, she is able to let her hair down and just enjoy herself. It's something that seems foreign to her these days. But she dances. Then dances a little more. A man comes closer and holds his hand out, asking for a dance. Not seeing a reason not to, she accepts the invitation. As the song comes to an end, a slow song comes on and he lifts her hands up around his neck and they continue to dance.

Arizona and Teddy have had a few more drinks, all the while Arizona has managed to keep track of the brunette woman on the dance floor. Teddy noticed Arizona watching her, but decided not to comment.

Teddy strikes up a conversation with a man that came in to sit next to her and feeling ignored, Arizona decides she is going to go have a little fun herself. She finishes her beer and sits the mug down. Arizona winds her way to the dance floor, where she is soon met be an "old friend" of hers. Both women continue to dance and soon enough, Arizona's friend whispers something in her ear. Arizona gets a look about her before once again making eye contact with Callie. Arizona seems to have made a decision and Callie watches as both women make their way over to the bar. Arizona says something to Teddy then grabs her things, then they disappear out the front door.

Shaking her head at the blonde woman, Callie finishes her dance with the gentleman she is with, then excuses herself. He is nice enough and they had some pleasant conversation, but she isn't in the mood for anything more than a dance tonight. She waves to Teddy who is engrossed in a conversation with a handsome man, then makes her way outside to head to the hotel. It's going to be a long day tomorrow with the construction at the office and the movers due at her new house with her furniture.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Callie Torres is an early riser. It hasn't always been like this, but now, she can't sleep in even if she tries. She grabs her phone and makes a call. After hearing what she needs to hear, she hangs up and heads to the shower. Her morning routine is one of reflection.

Some days are better than others, but the morning is when she tried to come to terms with her feelings and work through them. She used to not do this and instead, kept everything bottled up. After going through some therapy, she realized she needs to face everything head on. So that is what she does... every morning. Then she spends the rest of her day, trying to find herself again. Trying to realize that life can't stand still and that she needs to keep moving forward. That thought process is what led her here, to Carson, MN.

After living a rather privileged life and having to fit into a certain mold, while growing up with her parents and then again while being married to George, she is now living how she sees fit. She is finding what makes her, her again. Not what other people want or expect her to be, but finding who she wants to be for herself.

She is tired of fancy houses and cars. Of course, they are nice, but it isn't what makes her happy. So the house she will be moving into today, is the most modest house she has ever lived in. It's a small house compared to what she has lived in before, but she is confident that the 3 bedroom with a small office is exactly what the doctor ordered. She found it online and sent Mark to check it out at the same time he checked out her office.

Mark was someone she met during med school. They hooked up briefly before she met George, who was working at the hospital she did her internship at. George was a business man and was successful straight out of college. He ended up on the hospital board per request from his company. He and Callie met while she was trying to get funding from the board for her research.

Thinking back over her failed marriage, Callie finishes getting dressed and packs up her belongings she brought with her to the hotel room. She realizes she still has a while before the contractors are due in to the office and the movers aren't expected until noon, so she decides to go grab some breakfast from the diner just down the block from the office. One of the contractors mentioned they had the best coffee around.

As she pulls around the block to find a spot, she can not believe her eyes. There, in the spot she had parked in for the past two days, was none other than Arizona Robbins. Again, she didn't particularly care where she parked. There were plenty other spots. It's a small town so even if you have to walk around the block, you will find a space.

The fact that Dr. Robbins is parked there, isn't what amuses her. What amuses her is the fact that Dr. Arizona Robbins is still standing by her car. Just standing there… almost seeming like she was waiting for Callie to drive by. When she in fact spots Callie, she smirks and offers a wave, then turns to walk into her office.

Callie can't help but to chuckle to herself. Dr. Robbins is certainly a fascinating individual to Callie. She is clearly intelligent in order to be a pediatric doctor and seems to have quite the social life. And yet, she seems to be either highly competitive or OCD. Either case would fit the fascination with the parking spot.

Callie finds a spot just a few spaces down from Dr. Robbins and grabs it. She picks her purse up and exits her car. When she goes to shut her door, she hears a voice behind her.

"Dr. Torres," Teddy says, hurrying to get out of her car. "I'm so glad I caught you. I talked to a friend of mine, Addie Montgomery, last night. She is really interested in talking to you about your secretary position. She said if I saw you, to let you know she would stop by this morning and introduce herself."

"Oh, thank you! That is amazing. I will be here for a few hours then I'm heading to my house to get the movers situated."

"OK, I'll text her to let her know to make it soon."

"Sounds good. Oh, tell Dr. Robbins I'm glad to see she has her spot today."

"I can't believe that woman. She hasn't been at work this early in... well, years. She is something else," Teddy chuckles.

"OCD or just that competitive? I can't figure it out," Callie asks, smiling.

"Um, probably both," Teddy says, laughing. "I'm really not quite sure what's up with here these days. She definitely isn't showing you her best qualities right now, which is a shame. She really is a great person."

"I think I'll just have to take your word for it," Callie says, still smiling.

"Well, I need to get going and see what's gotten into her today. I'll text Addie. You'll know her by the red hair."

"Sounds good, thanks a bunch."

Callie heads across the road to her office and Teddy heads for hers. Walking in, she sees Arizona hurriedly stepping away from the blinds.

"Whatcha doing there, Pink Panther?"

"Oh, I just thought I heard something and was just, uh, taking a look," Arizona says, acting like she has no idea what Teddy is getting at.

"Right. Spying... that's what you were doing. What the hell are you doing here so damn early? It's just a freaking parking spot Arizona."

"I know that. But, I just had to get some paper work done this morning. It has nothing to do with that spot. But, since I was here, I went ahead and parked there."

"Did you also see me pull in behind Callie? Because I saw you just standing out there until you saw her, and I saw your stupid little wave. You just had to rub it in that you beat her to it this morning."

"I was looking for something in my purse when she went by. I thought I was being polite by waving."

"Liar."

"I am not!"

"Are too," Teddy says, shaking her head.

"I'm not."

"Yes.. you are. Damn it. Now you have me stooping to your level. We both sound like we are school kids, arguing. You need to let this go. You can't come in an hour early every day. Because then tomorrow you are going to think she might come earlier and then you come earlier and before you know it, you won't even go home at night. You will just stay here, all because of that stupid spot. You need to get over yourself. If you get it, you get it. If not, get over it. I have better things to do than listen to you be all whiny like someone stole your favorite toy. I think you are being childish. You are a freaking doctor for crying out loud. Act like it," Teddy says, scolding her.

Arizona looks at her for a minute before she says, "You don't have to be so mean."

"You know what, you have absolutely nothing to do. Go get me some coffee while I get these files pulled," Teddy says, nodding in affirmation that is indeed what she wants Arizona to do.

"Fine," Arizona says, looking sheepish. She walks out of the office and down a block to the diner, wondering why Teddy isn't being a little more supportive of her wanting to make sure she keeps her spot.

Walking into the diner, lost in her thoughts, she makes her way to a stool at the counter. Margie, the waitress sees her come in and makes her way over.

"Need somethin' hun?"

"Two coffees. Big coffees," Arizona says, rubbing her temples.

She hears a snicker and then a voice she has been hearing for the past couple days.

"You know, if you wouldn't get up so early, you might not need as much coffee."

Shaking her head, she slowly turns her head to see Callie smirking at her. "You know, I was just lectured on that. I see you are going to start on me too?"

"Hmm, Sorry," Callie offers, shrugging. "I just... I thought we had this thing," she says, pointing between them. "I didn't want to disappoint you and not keep it going."

"We don't even know each other and you are already saying we have a thing," Arizona says, smiling. "And, you are worried about disappointing me… wanting to make me happy. That's sweet," Arizona says, with a smirk.

"Oh no. I definitely wouldn't say that. From what I can see, you don't need me for that part," Callie says, taking a sip of her coffee and picking up her toast. "You seem to have that job more than covered," she smirks, taking the last bite.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arizona asks, turning her head to look at the brunette once again.

"Nothing."

"Um, I may be a bit slow on the uptake at times, but I'm pretty sure you are getting at something."

"Nope. I'm not getting at anything. I think if you think I am getting at something, then whatever you think I'm getting at, is your conscience talking."

"Excuse me?" Arizona looks at her, waiting on her to clarify. Instead, of clarifying though, Callie sits down money that covers her toast and coffee. Having already asked for her coffee in a to-go-cup, she stands and picks it up, along with her purse.

"It was really nice chatting with you, but, I have a busy day ahead of me and I really need to get going. I have to check in with my contractors and then go meet the movers at my new house. Have a good day, Dr. Robbins. Maybe we can have breakfast together again soon..."

Leaving before Arizona can say anything, Arizona is once again amazed at how this woman can get under her skin. "We weren't having breakfast together," she mumbled to herself. "What makes her think I would want to have breakfast with her? I have way better things to do."

"Hun, are you ok?" Marge asks, setting the coffees down in front of Arizona.

"Oh. I'm fantastic. Thanks, Marge," Arizona says, handing money over for the coffees.

Walking back into the office with the two coffees in hand, Arizona walks over and sits one on Teddy's desk and then has a seat right in front of her desk.

"What's wrong with you?" Teddy asks.

"I am pretty sure Dr. Torres just called me a slut," Arizona says, causing Teddy to burst out laughing, before realizing Arizona was serious.

"Oh.." Teddy says, clearing her throat. "Um... what makes you say that," she asks, clearing her throat and trying to wipe the smile off her face.

"She talked about wanting to keep this banter we have going on between us and then I commented that she was wanting to not disappoint me and make me happy and then she said that from what she can see, I don't need her for that part."

"I see," Teddy says, trying not to laugh again.

"What? I can see you are dying to say something," Arizona says, looking sideways at her best friend.

"Nothing."

"Oh, It's not nothing. What is it"?

"Well, It's just... she has been here what? Three days?"

"I guess, why?"

"And she has seen you with how many women?"

Thinking, Arizona gets a look on her face. "Oh."

"Oh?" Teddy asks, raising her eyebrow, indicating that she is waiting on Arizona to continue.

"Ok, so maybe two," Arizona says, thinking over the past two nights.

"So, I'm not trying to be the bad guy, but she has seen you with two different women in three days. And today is the third day and it's not even over yet. Seems to me like she is just making an observation. First impressions speak volumes to people. Seems she has a first impression of you already."

"I'm not a slut Teddy. I just don't have a reason to commit to anyone."

"I didn't say you were, I'm just saying, she now has a first impression of you. That's all."

Arizona huffs and stands to head into her office. "Well, she needs to mind her own damn business. I can sleep with whoever the hell I want. Let me know when my patients are ready."

Teddy smiles, knowing that the brunette across the road has more of an effect on Arizona than either of them truly realize. She texted Addie earlier to let her know that Callie wouldn't be there long, and she should probably head over soon.

On the other side of the road, Callie is looking over the blue prints once again and making some notes, when the front door chimes. She turns to see a tall, red-headed woman walk in. Putting the blue prints down, she says, "You must be Addie."

"I am," Addie says, holding her hand out to shake.

"Callie Torres. It's nice to meet you," Callie says. "I hear you might be interested in a job?"

"More than interested. Due to an unfortunate series of events, the office I worked for had to close. But I had worked there for 12 years, so I come with a lit of experience handling patient files, answering phones, handling accounts, and budgets.

"Then if this works for you…" Callie says, handing Addie a paper with salary and benefit information, then the job is yours. I like your confidence."

"I'll take it," Addie says smiling. "Thank you, so much. How soon do you hope to be opening?"

"This should only take another 2 weeks at most to get the remodel done. Then, as soon as we are staffed, we can open. Hopefully it is just as easy to find a few nurses."

"I know just who to ask," Addie says, smiling.

Several hours later, Callie is sitting in her new living room on her couch, looking at all the boxes and wondering where to start. Her phone rings and it's Addie, asking if she has a few minutes to spare. Callie explains she is indeed knee deep in boxes and tomorrow would work better. Addie says she can help with that because there is someone she wants her to meet. She offers to bring pizza, wine, and help if she will send her the address. Callie obliges and before long, there is a knock at the door.

"Come on in," Callie says to the red-head and the woman with her, motioning for them to come in.

After Callie closes the door, Addie says, "Callie, this is Christina Yang. Christina, this is Callie Torres."

Hours later, with most boxes unpacked and starting on the last bottle of wine, Callie looks to the women. "Thank you guys so much, for everything."

"It's no problem. We weren't doing anything anyway," Christina shrugs. "Plus, you gave us both jobs today, so I would say it is a win-win," Christina says as Callie and Addie start laughing.

"So, what's your story?" Christina asks, not one to shy away from anything.

Thinking about where to begin, Callie wrinkles her nose. "Um… I'm a single, divorced mom. My ex is a jerk who is still in California. I have a daughter just turned four last week."

"Does he have custody?" Addie asks, noticing there was a room decorated kind of girly upstairs, but no clothes were unpacked.

"No. I have full custody," she says, shaking her head. "There was an incident while she was in daycare, before she turned two. She was left unattended by one of the employees and she was climbing on something she shouldn't have been on, and fell. She… she hit her head and has been in a coma since."

"I'm so sorry, Callie. I can't imagine going through that. Where is she now?"

"I just got her settled close to Mayo. I wanted good doctors nearby and they have a nice facility. I needed to put a little space between she and I though. And I know you are probably thinking that I'm a lousy mom for that, but, it took two years of therapy to get here. When she was near me, I felt I had to be with her 24/7. It wasn't good for either of us. I pretty well had given up on life when I started seeing a therapist. She helped me to see that I couldn't keep that up. I was ruining my career and I wasn't being the mom she needed me to be."

"I'm sure that was a tough decision to be apart from her," Addie says.

"It was. But I was falling apart. My marriage was over long before the accident, and my life was at a standstill. I got to a place a few months ago where I knew I needed to make a change. So, when the divorce was final, I started the process of moving here. Allowing myself to be the doctor I know I can be, while knowing she is taken care of and I can get to her easily if I need to. I am allowing myself to spend the weekends with her. I can't not see her at all."

"Callie Torres, I admire you…" Christina says. "But, after that, I think we all need a drink," she says, refilling all of their wine glasses.

After that, they each shared a little more about their lives , just getting to know each other. Little did they know, this day was the start of a wonderful friendship between the three of them.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Walking into the office this morning, at her usual time, Arizona quietly nods at Teddy and walks straight into her office. Teddy and Mandy look at each other, then Teddy gets a thoughtful look on her face. She heads to the window and looks out, only to find "the spot" empty.

"I think hell must have frozen over," Teddy says as she walks to the door and opens it, looking to the left and right, then walking back in. "Mandy, you won't believe it, but Arizona parked a few places down, apparently right behind what looks like Callie's car. Left "the spot" totally open."

"Hm," Mandy says. "I think Robbins is growing this week. Blossoming as a person," Mandy says with exaggerated arms, waving them above her head.

" I don't know about that. I read her the riot act yesterday. I think this is her walking around with her tail between her legs."

"Well, it will be interesting to see what becomes of this whole situation. I think we haven't see all we are going to see yet." Mandy walks to Arizona's office and knocks, then opens the door without waiting for a response.

Looking up to see Mandy standing there, she says, "What do you need Bailey?"

"Oh… I'm Bailey today? There is something wrong with you. What's going on Robbins?"

"Nothing," Arizona answers, offering up nothing else.

"Well, when you call me Bailey, I know something is bothering you. So, spill it. I will only ask this one last time, then it's tough if you want to talk about it again."

"I don't know. Is my life so boring to where the only thing I have to look forward to is if I get my parking spot or not? What the hell is wrong with me? I am an amazing doctor, capable of doing so much, but the past few days, I have been more worried about a parking spot than what I can do with the rest of my life. I think I need a weekend away. To get some perspective, you know?"

"Well, if that's what you think you need, then that's what you should do," Mandy said, and walked out.

"Wait. That's all you have to say?" Arizona stands and follows her out.

"Yep."

"Mandy, come on... You always have an opinion."

"I do. I agree with you. You are more than someone who worries about a stupid parking spot. So, if you think you need some perspective, them you do. I happen to think a weekend away would do you good. Now, I see a young man in the waiting room that I need to call back. We will see you in five." With that, Mandy nods to Arizona and heads to get her patient.

Arizona watches Mandy take the young man and his mother into the patient room then walks over to Teddy. "What are you doing this weekend?"

"Nothing. I was supposed to go out with the guy from the bar the other night, but he just cancelled and didn't offer to reschedule, so I think that was probably his plan all along. Why?"

"I'm thinking about getting out of here for the weekend. Maybe we can go rent a nice lakeside cabin and grab some wine, sit by the water. I feel like a need to get some perspective on some things."

"Well, I think that's the best idea you've had in while."

xxxxx

Callie is picking out some color swatches for the new tile she is having installed when her phone rings. Callie pulls it out of her pocket and sees that it is Mark.

"Hey, Mark. Yeah, I'm leaving around five to head that way. I just called to check on her and told the nurses I would be there by seven. What? Really? That would be amazing. Yeah. How about this, I will run home in a bit and grab my clothes and you can just meet me here at the office and we can leave from here. That's great. Thank you, Mark. I appreciate it."

Hanging up the phone, she is excited to not have to make the trip alone. She has grown use to the visits alone, but that doesn't mean she likes it that way. Each trip she makes, she gets asked the same questions by the nurses, and each time, she tells them she isn't ready yet, that's it's not time. So, this weekend, she won't be alone when she gets asked, and then breaks down into tears when the nurses leave the room.

Finding a lull in the activity and decision making pertaining to the office, she decides to head home and get packed. It's only about a ten-minute drive so it doesn't take her long to get home and then get back.

As she is pulling back in, she gets out of her car to see an irate Arizona Robbins storming up to her car, which is still parked right in front of her.

"Good morning, sunshine," Callie says, taking in the frustrated look of the woman.

"You know, I'm not in the mood for this right now," Arizona says, as she unlocks her car and opens her door.

"You know, you have been a little out of sorts the past two days. Anything I can help you with?" Callie asks, watching the other woman narrow her eyes at her.

"No, there's not. I think you have done enough."

"What are you talking about? This is the first time we have even talked today," Callie scoffs.

"The electric just went out. So that means I will not be seeing patients if I have no electric."

"Ok. I get that part. But what does that have to do with me?" Callie asks.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you have inept contractors doing your remodeling work and they screwed something up?"

"What? Everything was fine when I left a little bit ago."

"Well, it's not now. Thanks to you."

"You know, I'm still not sure how this is my fault, but you can blame me if it makes you feel better," Callie says, raising her eyebrows. Shrugging she scoffs, "God knows it isn't the only thing I have been blamed for that wasn't my fault."

Neither woman says anything for a few seconds until Arizona shakes her head. "Well, since I suddenly have some free time, I need to run home. See you later, Dr. Torres."

With that, Arizona gets in her car and leaves as Callie watches, then she heads over to find out what chaos has erupted in the little time she was away. Walking into the office, she sees that the lights are indeed out. "What the hell happened? You know the offices across the road don't have electric either," Callie asks the head contractor.

"I know, I know. Remember the issue I mentioned the other day?" He asks, as Callie nods. "Well, I called the electric company and told them my concerns yesterday, and they didn't share those concerns. They said to go ahead and do what we needed to do. So, that's what we did. This one isn't on me. It's on them. I have already put in a call and they are supposed to have someone out here within the hour."

"Great. That's freaking great," Callie says, shaking her head. Knowing there isn't anything else she can do for the time being, she decides to go grab some lunch at the diner, so she doesn't have a counter-productive conversation with the hired help.

Walking into the diner, she sees Teddy and another woman, sitting at the counter. Seeing an empty seat beside Teddy, she walks over and has a seat. When Teddy turns to see her, Callie gives her a remorseful look.

"I'm so sorry about the electric... my guys said they even checked with the electric company before they did anything, and they electric company didn't see a problem."

"Oh, it's no big deal. We never really take time off, so this is kind of nice, actually," Teddy says, giggling.

"Well, I saw Arizona when she was leaving and she seemed pretty, um, agitated about it."

"Well, I think she is having a bad day in general. She came in not quite herself, so I don't think it was the electric."

"I hope she didn't come to work in the mood I saw her in," Callie said, cringing.

"Maybe not quite as bad, but, she was in a mood. Oh, before I forget," Teddy said leaning back on her stool and pointing to the woman beside her. "This is Mandy Bailey, our nurse. Mandy, this is Dr. Torres."

"Just call me Callie," she says, sticking her hand out to greet Mandy.

"It's nice to meet the lady that has the good doctor so out of sorts," Mandy says, chuckling.

"Guilty." Callie raises her hand and smiles. "I can assure you, though some has, it hasn't all been intentional. She just makes it so easy to aggravate her," she says, stopping to think and chuckling.

"Well, it's been comic relief for us," Mandy says smiling. The three women finish their lunch amidst small talk. Callie lets Teddy know that not only did she hire Addie, but her friend Christina Yang as well. The women sit and chat well after they finish their lunch and decide they need to have lunch again next week.

When Teddy and Mandy arrive back in front of the office, they see the electric company working on something across the road. As soon as they unlock the door and walk in, the electric flickers back on.

"Oh, thank goodness. I think Arizona would lose her crap if it was out all day," Teddy says.

"You wanna make a bet?"

"What are you talking about? What kind of bet?" Teddy asks, looking at Mandy.

"Well, I am one hundred percent certain those two are going to end up hooking up."

Teddy starts laughing. "What makes you say that? They can't stand each other."

"They get under each other's skin, but they don't know each other well enough to not like each other. I don't know if Callie is straight or not, but I can tell you, even if I haven't seen them in the same room together yet, there's chemistry."

"Well, Arizona saw her on a date with a man the other night. I would say she is straight."

"Maybe. Wouldn't be the first woman Arizona worked her charms on though."

"You got a point there. And I know Arizona thinks she is hot," Teddy says, remembering their discussion the first time Arizona saw her.

"So, I think we both think there is a chance. I say it happens before Christmas," Mandy says, puckering up her lips on consideration.

"That's about 4 and a half months away. I think… Thanksgiving…at the latest," Teddy says with a wink.

A few hours later, Arizona and Teddy have both had a chance to run home and they are discussing their weekend getaway. Arizona called up a friend to see if they could borrow their vacation house for the weekend. After hearing they could, Arizona made sure her answering service sent all calls to a fellow pediatric doctor at the local hospital.

"What did you guys do for lunch today?" Arizona asks, as they clean up after the last patient. "Because I skipped it and I'm starving."

"Oh, we ended up having lunch with Dr. Torres. Nice lady. I like her," Mandy says, waiting for Arizona's reaction.

"Seriously? She already got to Teddy. She's gotten to you too now?" Arizona scoffs, making a face at Mandy.

"She didn't get to me. She is just a nice lady. Funny, intelligent, seems down to earth. I like that."

"Whatever you want to tell yourself, Bailey."

"Oh, we invited her to lunch next week. I'm fixing my famous chicken casserole. We thought we would do it here, Monday."

"I can't believe you two!" Arizona huffs, shutting off the lights. I can't seem to get away from her and now you are just flat out inviting her here."

"Oh, you know you want to be flat out under her… quit complaining," Teddy yells from the front door, where she is waiting on the two. Hearing Mandy chuckle, Teddy joins her.

"Shut it, Teds," Arizona yells, as she walks out of her office with a bag in hand. "If not, I'm going to go without you."

"Listen to you. Be nice…"

"Nice? The only thing you are doing is giving me crap. I don't have to be nice."

They don't make it two feet outside the door and a delivery man comes running up, slightly out of breath. "Oh, I'm glad I caught you Dr. Robbins," he says, looking at Arizona. "I have a delivery for you."

"What?" Arizona asks, surprised.

"Yep, here ya go," he says, handing her a small bouquet of flowers.

"Ooohhh, who are those from? Tattoo girl? Dancer girl from the other night?"

"Shut up Teds. I don't know."

Mandy reaches over and plucks the card out. "Ooohhh…"

"What?" Arizona asks, trying to pull the card away.

Mandy doesn't say anything, just smirks as she gives Teddy a look, then passes the card back to Arizona. Arizona looks at the card, then scoffs, putting it back down into the bouquet.

"What? Who are they from? What's it say?" Teddy asks, feeling left out.

"Nothing."

"I don't think it's nothing. Give me that," she says, grabbing the card before Arizona can stop her.

Looking at the card, Teddy says, "Dr. Robbins, sorry I caused you to short-circuit today. Shouldn't be a problem again. Dr. Torres."

Starting to laugh, Teddy gets a slug in the arm from Arizona. "See Teddy! I swear, she just likes pushing my buttons."

"Short-circuit… no electric. That's funny!" Mandy raises her hand and laughs as she motions for them to keep walking.

"I don't know why you guys are finding this so amusing…" Arizona humphs.

As the trio makes there way outside, they decide to take Arizona's SUV, as she has more room. While discussing plans earlier, they asked Mandy to join them. She ran home as well and packed a bag. Now, they are all looking forward to getting away.

As they approach Arizona's car, they see a car stop right outside Callie's office, not pulling into a spot, but just waiting. Arizona takes a closer look at the driver and realizes that it's the same man that Callie was with the other night. She sees Callie come out with a larger bag thrown over her shoulder and a jacket, place them in the backseat of the man's car, then hop in the passenger seat.

Callie doesn't see the group of women watching as they throw their own luggage into the back of Arizona's car.

Mandy looks at Teddy and says, "She didn't say anything today about leaving."

"Nah, but we didn't discuss weekend plans either. Maybe she didn't want us to know about her after hours shenanigans," Teddy says.

"Shenanigans? Who says that, Teds?"

"I do. It's a neat word."

"Neat, my ass. It's an old lady word," Arizona says, smiling and rolling her eyes.

"Nope. Bringing it back. You wait… everyone will be saying it. Now… let's hit the road and get this party started."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Friends can make everything better. They keep you grounded when you get too proud, they make you mad when you need a push, they lend a hand when you need help. They also do things like lending an ear when you need to talk or hold your hand when you need to feel like you aren't alone. Friends can make you smile when you feel like you have nothing to smile about and they are great at giving advice when you don't ask for it. Friends do so much for us and yet, they get very little credit.

Right at this second, Callie Torres is very thankful for Mark Sloan. Their friendship has survived a brief romance, intermittent hook-ups, a marriage to someone that should never have happened, distance, and a sick child. As they approach her daughter's room, Mark reaches out and grabs ahold of her hand, letting her know she isn't alone for this visit. She forgot how comforting something as simple as someone holding her hand could be.

Reaching for the door, Callie inhales, ready once again to visit her little girl. As she walks in, she see's the small brunette laying in bed. She is hooked up to the ventilator, looking so small wearing little purple pajamas with butterflies.

"Torres, she looks just like you," Mark says, taking in the sight of the little girl he hasn't seen in a few months. "I mean, she always has, but wow. More so today than ever. She is beautiful."

"Thanks," Callie says, with a sad smile, as she makes her way over to the bed, pulling Mark along with her.

They stand for several minutes, just watching the little girl. They keep an eye on the monitors and take in the information displayed.

"She should have been mine. I would have made a great dad," Mark volunteers.

"I know. Too bad the DNA test showed it was George," Callie smiles. Her paternity was never a question, but Mark had always tried to get her to tell George the baby was his. He had told her he had friends in the lab that could make her look like his easily enough. Callie might not have liked George, but she didn't want him to ever think she had been unfaithful. That wasn't her style. Mark was just always upset at how he neglected Callie and the baby at the time, making Callie carry all the weight. George was always busy with work and didn't spend any time at home. So, the talk of a DNA test just created a running joke between the two. It was always Mark's way of telling her she deserved more. What Callie didn't fully know, is that Mark would have gladly stepped in and assumed the role of dad, whole heartedly. He and Callie may not have been meant to be, but he loved her in a way that meant he would always be there for her.

"Good evening, Dr. Torres. I was already finished with evening rounds when I saw you walk in. I thought I would swing back down and ask if you had any questions," Dr. Tanner asked, as Callie turned around to face him.

"Dr. Tanner. Thank you for coming back. Um, you mentioned running a few tests this week. When I called this morning, they didn't have any results to share. Has anything come back since?"

"I'm afraid there was no change since the last battery of tests. We even added on a new type of test that was recently approved that she hasn't previously had. Unfortunately, the results there were not what we were hoping for."

"I see. I'd like to look over all the results tomorrow and sit down and go through everything individually."

"We will make sure we arrange that. I actually have some time in the morning. If you'd like, I can come and get you and go over things with you."

"That would be nice, thank you."

"With the new results confirming what we already know, our recommendation stays the same. However, that is a call that only you can make when you are ready. You need to do what you feel is best for her. "

"I'm not ready. New things are being approved and researched and, and just… she needs more time."

"I understand how you feel. We are here to help and do what we can... Present to you what we find as we continue to run tests. We have weekly meetings with the neuro and peds teams at Mayo. We will try anything they think may give us more information on how to help her."

"Thank you."

"I'll let you visit. Please let me know if I can help in anyway, and I'll plan on seeing you in the morning."

As the doctor leaves, Callie remains quiet and Mark moves back to grab a chair and pulls it closer to the bed. Callie sits and smiles in appreciation. "You know, you would think that hearing the same thing, from doctor after doctor, it would maybe sink in that she really isnt going to improve. It's just, my greatest fear is that I'll take her off the vent for them to come running in with some new test to run that could have made all the difference. And if I would have waited just a few more minutes…"

Mark kneels down by Callie and takes her hand. "And that's why you don't do it until you are at peace with the decision. As doctors, we see it all the time. Parents sometimes know more than we do."

"And sometimes, we see parents make the decision, that we as doctors, we know won't change the inevitable. I just… I just feel like I need to wait. Just a little longer."

"Then… you wait." Mark leans down and pulls her in for a hug. They sit like that until Callie finally pulls back, allowing him to stand.

"Thank you. For coming. For understanding. It means a lot. My parents don't understand. They keep saying they hate to see me suffer. And dad, he thinks he can throw money around and make something happen. It doesn't work that way though. So just… thank you. For being here."

"Anytime, Cal."

Mark and Callie sit in her room all evening. Watching the little girl and making small talk consumes their evening, before they make their way to a hotel nearby. They get settled for the night, each taking a separate bed.

Mark turns the last light off and they lay there, asking the odd question every so often, to lull themselves to sleep, when Mark asks, "So, tell me, have you had any more run-ins with Dr. Robbins?"

"Several. She really doesn't like me," Callie chuckles. "So much so, I sent her flowers today to try to smooth it over."

"Torres, you sent her flowers?"

"I'm pretty sure they were going to make her mad too," Callie chuckles.

"How's that?"

"Well, the whole week we have had this back and forth thing going on. Everything I do gets under her skin. Sometimes I have to admit, I've done it on purpose. But then today, the contractor for the renovation managed to knock the electric out, which really made her mad. So, I sent flowers at the end of the day, after the electric was back on. apologized that I caused her to short-circuit today and it wouldn't be a problem again."

"Yeah, I can see where maybe you just should have said something like a simple 'sorry' and left it at that. Why are you trying to aggravate her?"

"I don't know, really. For some reason, I love to see the look on her face when I do. It amuses me."

"I see."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Spit it out. I can hear your wheels turning," Callie chuckles.

"It's just, sending flowers might send a different message than what you want to send. So just don't forget she is into the ladies."

"Oh yeah. I've seen her with two different women. She was on a date at the restaurant when you and I were there. Then the next night, she went home with someone different she was dancing with at the bar. And... I may have referenced her ability to have plenty of people make her happy and she didn't need me for that, which ticked her off," Callie says, chuckling again. "And the flowers... nothing romantic about that, whatsoever."

"Hm."

"What, Mark?"

"In all the years I have known you, you have never even looked at a woman."

"I'm not looking at a woman."

"You are."

"You are being ridiculous. I am not."

"Let me reword it. You are flirting with a woman."

"I am not! I can't believe you would say that. I am... just messing with her because she makes it easy. You should see her face!"

"Whatever you say, Torres," Mark says, grinning to himself.

"That is what I say. I don't flirt with anyone right now, let alone a woman," Callie huffs.

"Ok, you aren't flirting. Now, get some sleep if we are going to be over there by morning rounds."

XXXXXXX

"Arizona, I thought you said this was a lake cabin?" Teddy asks, looking out the window at the small pond.

"Well, maybe saying lake was a stretch. There is water out there though. And for a private pond, it's quite large."

"Whatever you say. At least it has a small dock with a few chairs down there. I guess that's all we need. Oohh, and I see a fire pit. Ok... Let's get things unloaded and get down there. I'll load the cooler up."

"We don't need a cooler full," Arizona warns.

"Yes, we do," Teddy says in disbelief.

"Whatever. I'm going to go change into something a little more comfortable," Arizona says as she makes her way upstairs carrying her large duffle bag.

Teddy and Mandy get themselves situated as well, then true to her word, Teddy gets the cooler ready with a few add-ins from Mandy. As Arizona comes back down the steps in joggers and a hoodie, she sees the girls standing looking off the back deck, so she walks out to join them.

"We could just stay up here if you want. It's just as pretty."

"Nope. I want that fire pit, let's go," Teddy insists and gets a nod of agreement from Mandy.

Once situated by the fire pit next to the pond, Teddy reaches over to open the lid on the cooler, passing each of her friends a drink. They opted for some beer and wine coolers-nothing too heavy.

"So, who owns this place?" Mandy asks, looking around. "Because, it's pretty freaking nice."

"Oh, a surgeon I worked with at Mayo. It's actually her dad's. He lives in Florida but bought this so he would have somewhere to stay when he came to visit. He's a surgeon too, so they have plenty of money with plenty of houses stashed across the states. So, I knew this would probably be empty."

"So, a 'her', huh? Is this 'her' someone you have... you know..." Teddy leans in, waiting for the answer.

"You know? You mean, slept with?" Arizona asks.

"Yep, pretty sure that's what she means," Mandy says, chuckling.

"As a matter of fact, no. I don't sleep with everyone I know, Teddy. She is about 10 years older than I am. She was an amazing surgeon and took me under her wing. I learned a lot from her. Her and her husband both, are doctors," Arizona says, stressing the husband part.

"So, how did you go from being a surgeon to a pediatrician? That usually doesn't happen." Mandy asks. She had always wanted to know but never wanted to ask. Now seemed like the perfect opportunity. She had worked with Arizona for about two years now and just didn't know the whole story.

"Oh, I started out being a pediatrician... was actually working as one. Then I decided I wanted to keep pushing myself. So, I went back and became a surgical intern at the hospital I had been working at. As time went on, I excelled and they recommended I transfer to Mayo. They saw a lot of potential and pulled some strings. So, that's what I did. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but, I was pretty amazing at it," Arizona recalls.

"So, if you were so good, why aren't you still doing it?"

"I'd like to say it was some earth-shattering case or some sob story that happened, but it was neither. I finished at the top of my class, achieved what I set out to achieve, and was offered an attending position there. I actually took it and worked there for a year. Then, I don't know. I kind of got tired of the fast pace and was just overworked. I think after going through school and both internships, I was just exhausted. I needed to decompress. So, like I said, nothing tragic to cause me to leave, it was just me. The way I see it, I went to school for both, so going back to being a pediatrician wasn't about having a fall back, it's something I enjoy, you know?"

"So, it was first choice anyway, you just happened to excel at surgery too?"

"Yep. I still consult with them, every now and then. Usually nothing too exciting. Sometimes they like to have something other than just a surgeon's perspective. I could sometimes look at something and see a different approach, depending on what the problem was to begin with. They are only about cutting. I was about healing and cutting. I could see the bigger picture better, if that makes any sense. They had only been trained to do nothing but cut."

"Makes perfect sense," Mandy says, nodding her head. "Do you miss it though, the cutting?"

"I do. You know... I could expand my practice," Arizona says, lighting up. "I could actually serve some of my patients better and not have to send them all to someone else. It's been a nice break from it but maybe this trip down memory lane is what I need to get me back to doing everything I'm capable of."

"I'd say we need to drink to that!" Teddy reaches in the cooler and passes out another bottle to everyone. "Ok. So, how about those flowers? Did you put them in water?" Teddy asks, looking to Arizona.

"Yes, I put them in water. I wasn't going to just let them die."

"Of course. Not when they come from a woman as beautiful as Callie," Teddy says, looking back to Arizona, who surprisingly doesn't say anything and just works on peeling her label back on her bottle. Teddy and Mandy share a look.

"Yeah, she is a pretty lady..." Mandy says, watching for a reaction from Arizona. When she doesn't get a reaction, Mandy says, "she has a beautiful head of hair, beautiful smile, gorgeous eyes..."

Teddy and Mandy both keep their eyes on Arizona, who still hasn't said a word. "Mandy, I think she is picturing that woman, underneath her, writhing in pleasure..."

"Will you stop it!" Arizona finally says, being snapped out of her thoughts. "I was not thinking about her like that. I was just letting you two go because it seems like you both have the hots for her."

"Totally not our type," Mandy says, smirking. But... you didn't disagree with me.

"Well, I can't stand the woman. Doesn't matter whether she is hot or not... I don't like her. She just... she just makes me mad."

Mandy and Teddy share a knowing smile and let it go. It's not worth pushing their thoughts on the woman, because whether Arizona realizes it or not, Callie Torres is on her mind more than she wants to admit.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Arizona didn't mean to drink so much last night. She really didn't. But Teddy and Mandy… they made her. At least, that's her story if you were to ask her. She wakes up, not in the comfy bed upstairs, but on the floor. With no blanket or pillow. Nothing. As she starts to come to, she is somewhat thankful and somewhat appalled when she catches a waft of coffee flowing in from the kitchen.

As she inhales again, the smell of the coffee proves to be too much for her to handle. She scurries about trying to stand and find her balance. She rushes to the bathroom and thankfully, manages to get there just in time.

As she walks out a few minutes later, she holds her shirt up to her face to help hide the coffee smell. "Well, look at you miss sunshine," Mandy laughs, as Arizona slowly makes her way into the kitchen.

"Oh... please don't talk," Arizona mumbles as she sits and lays her head down on the bar, still covering her face with her shirt, causing Mandy to laugh.

"I'm fixing some bacon and eggs, you want some?"

"Bailey, stoooppp..." she manages to mumble slowly.

"Wow. I knew you were going to be schnockered, but this is funny. In all the time I've known you, I've never seen you hung over. Teddy said it was funny as hell though and she wasn't kidding," Mandy said, continuing to laugh, as Teddy walks in.

"Yep, I did tell you. She acts all tough but can't drink for nothing. Although, it is easy to get you to spill your deep, dirty, thoughts when you are drunk. You are a dirty girl Arizona," Teddy says, saying the last part with raised eyebrows.

"Teeedddyyyy... what did you doooo?" Arizona groans, raising her head from the counter, afraid of what she is about to find out.

"Nothing really. Just got you to admit you would sleep with the hot doctor across the road. Aaaand... " Teddy drawls out, "maybe all the hot things you wanted to do to her."

"Teddy! I wouldn't have said that!" Arizona says, looking mortified about telling Teddy and Mandy something she wasn't about to admit knowingly.

"Mmm…you did."

"You can't say a word to her!" Arizona shakes her head and continues to talk. "I can't believe I told you that. Why would I tell you? Of all people? You have a big mouth!"

Teddy and Mandy start laughing. "Actually, we didn't talk anymore about her last night after our first conversation. This right here," Teddy says, pointing to her, "is even better... You are admitting it while you are sober!"

"Argh..." Arizona mumbles as she stands and heads upstairs, not making the trek as quickly as she would like. She realizes she needs to get herself straightened up before she is tricked into saying anything else she doesn't want them to know about.

As Teddy and Mandy laugh, watching Arizona fumble her way upstairs, Mandy looks at Teddy and says, "Well played," twisting her face into a look of approval. "That was easier than I expected," she says laughing.

"I know. She thinks she is complicated," Teddy says, shaking her head. "Easy as pie to read sometimes, though."

XXXXXXX

Callie is sitting with her daughter and holding her hand. She reaches up to push some hair back behind her ear. She really is the spitting image of herself. Callie begins to think about how her marriage began and how it ended. When they met at a hospital board meeting, George sought her out afterwards, hoping to discuss her funding request. It started out pretty innocent, but then George found out who she was and that seemed to peak his interest in her. He knew being married to someone like Callie could really help his career. Callie didn't realize this at the time, and thought he was truly interested in her. She agreed to marry him but didn't realize until after the wedding what had happened. She overheard a conversation between George and his dad which turned out to be quite the telling conversation. She never told George she overheard because she really did love him and thought just maybe, he would grow to love her.

When George agreed to having a child, it wasn't really because he wanted one, but more that is what expected of him. He came from a wealthy family, as did Callie, and he felt that it was not a choice, but a necessity. Men in his company in the higher tier of management, all had large families. The younger men were all getting married, where the others were either starting their families or already had one. They had been married for a year when they started trying. It took about three months before they found out they were going to be parents.

When they found out they were expecting, Callie hoped that George would be excited. That wasn't the case though and then when they found out the baby was a girl, he really lost interest. That was the beginning of late nights at the office and working on the weekend. Until that point, he at least tried to keep up the appearance of a happy husband. After the birth of their daughter, Katie, he rarely came home. Callie juggled work and being a mother, even concluding her cartilage research, where she was more than successful.

When Callie received the call from daycare that there had been an accident and her daughter was unconscious, George didn't even come to the hospital until the next day. That's when Callie made the decision she was done with George. She didn't ask anything of him from that point on. She took time off work so she could spend it with her daughter. Days turned into weeks, which turned into months. Finally, after over a year of this and starting therapy, she filed for divorce. George signed over legal and physical custody to her during the divorce.

"Hey, I brought you a coffee," Mark says as he walks back into her room and handing Callie the cup, bringing her out of her thoughts. "You ok? You have a spaced out look about you."

"Uh, yeah," Callie says, looking down at her cup. "I was just thinking. Just... thinking about the past couple of years and how we got here. It just all really sucks."

"Yeah, it does. All of it," Mark says, as he reaches down to kiss the top of her head. "I um, I saw the Dr. Tanner out in the hall. Looks like he is doing rounds."

Callie nods her head and takes a sip of her coffee. "Oh, that's good. Where did you get this? They couldn't have had it here in this place."

Laughing, Mark says, "Hell no. I was looking online a little bit ago and saw this place was just around the corner. Had excellent reviews so I thought it might be worth the walk."

"Definitely worth it," Callie nods, taking another sip. "Thank you, I needed this, this morning. I brought a book to read but if I start on it, I won't be able to stay awake."

"Miss Torres, good morning," the doctor says, sticking his hand out for Callie to shake. Then looking at her friend, "And... Mark was it?" He asks, hoping he remembered.

"Yeah. Very good memory," Mark says, reaching his hand out.

"It looks like it was an uneventful night," Dr. Tanner says, looking over her charts.

"Yeah. Which is good and bad. I keep hoping her eyes are going to open and that she will start fighting the vent. But on the other hand, uneventful means she isn't worse, and I'll settle for that right now."

Nodding, Dr. Tanner says, "Well, I saved Katie for last. I have time now if you would like for me to go over the latest test results with you?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'd like Mark to join us. He is a doctor as well."

"Is that so? What's your specialty?"

"ENT and plastics surgery," Mark says, proudly.

"Impressive. Well, if you would, follow me then," Dr. Tanner says, leading them down the hall to a small office.

As Dr. Tanner explains each test that was ran and the results, Callie asks clarifying questions along the way to help her better understand what each result means. Being a doctor, for the most part, she already knows. But as the parent, she asks question after question with hope that maybe she will get a different answer. Dr. Tanner explains who they consult with routinely.

Callie knows that she probably doesn't have much time left. With each day that passes, she understands she is getting closer and closer to making a decision, but she still pushes for new ideas. "Dr. Tanner, I am just not ready. I just... I know that time is running out. But I just... I don't think it's time."

"Then... we wait. But I promise, we will do everything we can."

"Thank you Dr. Tanner. I appreciate you taking the time to go over the results with me." Callie offers a handshake, as does Mark, before they excuse themselves.

While they walk back to Katie's room, Mark suggests that he stay for a while then run and grab a late lunch/early dinner to bring back. He says that will give her more time with Katie and not have to worry about leaving.

Mark does as he promised, and after a while, leaves to go grab some food. He did some more research and found a little place a few blocks away that has the perfect comfort food for Callie.

While he is gone, Callie sits with Katie and begins to tell her about her week. She used to recap her day when she would see her every evening. Since she can no longer do that, she wants to tell her about her week. She understands Katie probably can't hear her, but she spends a lot of time talking to her, just in case.

"It was actually a busy week," she says, reaching for her hand. "I moved into our new house. I have your room set up for you. I mean, there isn't a whole lot in there, but I want you to be able to pick out what you want when you come home. We can decorate it however you want it. I started remodeling my new office. I can't wait to open up here in a few weeks. I met some new people this week... some pretty cool people. Addie is great. She is going to be my new secretary. And she brought Yang... Christina Yang, and introduced me to her. She will be my new nurse. I still need to find an x-ray tech, but Addie says, she has an idea on that one too. Let's see... there is a pediatrician's office across the road. The secretary, Teddy, she is really nice. And the nurse, Mandy, she seems like a hoot and a half. I bet she secretly runs the place but lets the doctor take the credit. Oh... and the doctor. Let me tell you. She is something else. She just... she doesn't like me at all. I seem to get on every nerve she has. And I have to say, I think it's funny seeing her get all mad. She is a spitfire for sure. She is all worried about a stupid parking space. Oh..." Callie says, covering her mouth. "I shouldn't have said stupid. That's not a nice word to say. I don't want you to learn that one."

Callie stops talking for a few minutes, then starts again. "So, this doctor, her name is Dr. Robbins. She is the total opposite of me. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. And we have totally... totally different tastes in things," Callie says, then starts to chuckle. If only her daughter knew how different they were. "I don't know what it is though. I kind of like making her mad. And... I should probably stop talking because it isn't nice to make someone mad. That's actually pretty mean. So yeah... act like you didn't hear that. You know, she just... I don't know. I think she likes making me mad too. She keeps spying on me. Who does that? I don't spy on people. I sent her flowers to make her mad too. Which, Mark pointed out that maybe that wasn't the best idea. She just..."

"She just... what?" Mark asks, walking into the room?"

"What?" Callie asks, whirling around to see Mark walking in with two big bags of food. "Uh, she… it's nothing."

"Oh, you were rambling about blondie for a good ten minutes there. I hardly think that's nothing," Mark smirks.

"Oh, stop it. Your mind is terrible. It's nothing like that. How long have you been back?"

"Long enough," Mark says, shrugging.

"Mark... It is totally not what you think it is. I just like talking to Katie. Sometimes it makes me ramble about things just to fill the time."

"Here... try this..." Mark says, handing her a container holding a large helping of rice, chicken, and vegetables. He tried to change the subject, sensing she would never admit to what he was currently thinking. "So, I thought that Chinese may still be your go-to comfort food. So, I found this place. Google is great for that, by the way. But this place, it smelled amazing when I walked in."

"Mmm, Mark. This is delicious," Callie says, around a mouthful of chicken.

They finished their early dinner and spent the rest of the day chatting. Callie started her book and Mark caught up on some work he brought with him.

XXXXXXX

Arizona, Teddy, and Mandy are all sitting around the back deck, taking in the view. Although the private pond isn't that big, the view is still amazing. Earlier today, while Arizona was getting herself situated, Mandy and Teddy decided they wouldn't give her anymore of a hard time about Callie. They love to give her a hard time, but, they know their limits.

They are in the middle of having dinner when Arizona's phone rings. When she sees the number, she excuses herself and heads inside to take the call. About ten minutes later, she comes back outside and rejoins the other two, a little upset that her food is now cold.

"So, that was interesting," Arizona says, as she picks at her cold grilled chicken.

"Who was it?" Teddy asks

"Um, it was Dr. Tanner from Mayo. After catching up for a few minutes, she went on to tell me that her husband works at a different facility, but has a case they have been consulting on recently. She said they are calling in a few surgeons to help out. She asked if I could look over the files and see if I have any thoughts on the case."

"Well, that's great! You were just talking about wanting to expand. Maybe this is the push you need to get your feet wet again. What did you tell her?"

"I told her I would give them a look. She is going to fax me some things on Monday. I told her I didn't really have a chance to come there in person for another few weeks so that was the only way I could do it."

"You could have ditched us if you wanted. We can fend for ourselves for a while."

"No, even if I went there, I wouldn't be able to sort through everything today. She said they are just at a loss as to what's going on."

"Well, maybe you are just what they need," Mandy says, nodding.

"Maybe. But for tonight… I saw some board games in there. I think I know what we are doing tonight..." Arizona says with a smile.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Callie is exhausted. It was an emotionally draining weekend but she is starting the day with a positive attitude. After calling to check on Katie this morning, she realized she didn't have anything to take to lunch with Teddy and Mandy. She didn't have time to fix something either, so she decides to head to the diner to put in an order.

Pulling around the block, "the spot" is open. Trying to get her mind off of Katie a little bit, she goes ahead and takes it. After all, she will probably come face to face with the good doctor over lunch, so she may as well fan the flame a little bit. She heads to the diner and grabs some breakfast, puts in an order for some lunch to take, along with a dessert, then heads back to the office.

While looking over some product catalogs, trying to get everything ordered for her opening, the door opens and in walk Addie and Christina. Callie looks up, surprised to see them. "Hey guys, what are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you two."

"Well, seeing as how we have nothing better to do, we thought we would come in and see what we could do to help," Addie says, smiling.

"Oh, I really love you two," Callie says, laughing.

"It's a little early for love. You think we could settle for just a deep liking for now?" Christina says, looking serious.

"Shut up, Christina," Addie says, laughing.

"What? I'm serious. It's too soon for love."

"Hey, you can't help who you love," Addie says.

"Ok. This is getting weird," Callie chuckles. "Here, miss secretary," Callie says, handing a catalog to Addie. "Make a list of stuff you want and I'll order it online later. It will be here by the end of the week."

"What's my budget?"

"Um... you have plenty of room," Callie says, not really wanting to divulge that she pretty well has unlimited funds. Her divorce settlement was very nice, plus she has a trust fund, as well as alimony. As soon as the office is functioning though, she plans to tell George to shove his alimony. She isn't totally crazy though, so she is more than willing to let him foot the bill for now, but then wants to be done with him altogether. She deserves this fresh start. He owes her that much. "Just write down whatever you see that you want. If I don't agree with something, I don't have to order it," she says smiling.

"What about me?" Christina says, holding her arms up.

"Well, you can help me. I am working on medical supplies. We can do this together. You might think of things that I'm missing."

"Sounds good," Christina says, moving to pull up a chair. Callie has set up a make shift work space for her, right inside the door. They construction crew has finished most of the walk-in space and has moved further back into the building.

XXXXXXX

Arizona Robbins is trying to be a better person this week. Really. But when she finds her hot work neighbor taking her spot again, it kind of makes her question that mission. She succeeds though and parks a few spaces in front of it and heads into the office. To be honest, she is surprised the car is in a different spot than it was last night.

When the women returned from the weekend getaway, Arizona drove them back here to drop them off at their cars. She was surprised to also see Callie's car sitting in the same spot that it was in on Friday as well, which meant she had spent every minute of her weekend with the guy from the bar. So needless to say, she half expected to see it in the same spot this morning, meaning Callie had spent yet another night with the man.

When Teddy and Mandy saw that Callie was not back yet, they coerced Arizona into making something for their little pot-luck dinner today, claiming that Callie was obviously going to be out too late to be able to bring something and she needed to bring something instead. When she went to argue, Mandy effectively put an end to that. Arizona was bringing something whether she liked it or not.

Arizona Robbins isn't a chef or a baker. She usually prefers to stay out of the kitchen. Last night, however, she stopped at the store to pick up a few ingredients she knew she would need, and proceeded to make her grandmother's lasagna. It has been the only thing she has ever made and made well. But it was also something she helped her grandma make since she was a little girl. Her grandma is getting up there in age now and Isn't able to be in the kitchen. She occasionally still asks Arizona to make it for her.

Carrying the pan of lasagna in, she heads to the small kitchenette and puts it in the fridge. She sees where the other two have food sitting there, but didn't see them when she walked in. She heads to her office and finds the two women sitting there waiting on her.

"Hey, what's going on?" Arizona asks, a little curious as to what they are doing here.

"We want to talk to you about lunch," Mandy says, wasting no time.

"What about it? I brought my lasagna... I didn't forget."

"Not about the food. About Callie. We think you need to try to be nice. We don't want you scaring her off today," Teddy says.

"Are you kidding me? You really think I am the mean one? She took my spot again today, and I didn't even come in saying a word about it. I am not the one who is going to scare someone away. She might be hot, but she is not nice."

"Look. She has been here a week, and you have yet to have a pleasant conversation. I don't think it would hurt to try to just talk to her. She is going to be around whether you like it or not. You may as well try to get to know her a little bit. You never know, maybe there is more to her than just being hot," Mandy says, giving her a pointed stare on the last sentence.

"Look, I know the research she has done. She is obviously a very intelligent woman. I'm sure there is more to her than looks, but she hasn't done a very good job at showing me that. And I have talked to her. She is just always rude."

"Look, we have an early patient today, so I need to go unlock the door. We are just asking that you try to be polite. We don't want you to be the reason she doesn't come around us. We need more friends around here."

Arizona watches them as they stand up, but doesn't say anything, until they reach the door. "I'll play nice if she does."

"Good. That's all we want to hear," Teddy says, giving her a thumbs up.

XXXXXXX

Callie is looking over the list they have created so far. "Well, I can't believe how much we got done so far. This would have taken me two days to get this done. You guys are amazing," Callie says. "Oh, I almost forgot... I have someone coming in late this afternoon to interview for the x-ray tech. It's a woman," she says, reaching to grab a paper. "Her name is Meredith Grey. You know her?"

"No, doesn't sound familiar. Is she from around here?" Addie asks.

"No. Said she lives about a half hour away."

"Well, hopefully she isn't all perky. I can't handle perky," Christina says.

"Hey, why don't you two go with me to lunch. I'm supposed to go have lunch with Mandy and Teddy. Then you can stay and meet her... tell me what you think. How does that sound?"

"Yeah, that sounds good. I haven't had a chance to really talk to Teddy in a few weeks," Addie says.

"Well, this is your chance then. Oh... can you not mention anything about my daughter? I uh, it was a long weekend and the news I got wasn't the best. I told you guys because you would be working here and might end up answering calls from her nurses and doctors. I just... I can't handle the looks people give sometimes. They give you these pity looks and it just... after the latest test results, I just can't handle the looks right now. So, can you keep it between us?"

"We will do whatever you want. So, you were there by yourself with her. That must be tough," Addie says.

"Actually, this weekend, I had my best friend, Mark, with me. He offered to come and take me. It was nice hot having to face the doctors alone this time."

"So, the test results weren't good... Does that mean things are worse or just no change?" Christina asks.

"Mostly no change, but a new test checked for some different type of brain activity and it wasn't where it needed to be. Considering her state, it wasn't a totally abnormal test, but it wasn't showing what they would have hoped either. They are still recommending I take her off the vent, but... I just can't yet."

"We're sorry you have to go through this. We are here for you. Whatever you need. You just let us know," Addie says.

"Thanks. I just, I don't want pitty looks from people. I can't handle that. It makes it so much harder. I have to say, I'm actually surprised you guys aren't giving them to me."

"Because we are cool that way," Christina says. "So... this friend. Is he hot?"

"Oh yeah," Callie says, chuckling. "He and I used to be a thing, off and on, before I got married. We could never be more than friends now... that ship sailed years ago. But, he is one of the best friends I have. I think if we were to be more than friends again, it would ruin what we have, and neither of us want that."

"Sounds like you are lucky to have him."

"Yeah. I really am."

XXXXXXX

Lunch time rolls around, and Callie and the girls head to the diner to pick up Callie's order, then head to lunch. Callie can't believe how well they all get along. They can talk about almost anything. They aren't snooty, judgy types, and she really likes that. They are a breath of fresh air compared to who she would traditionally hang out with.

Walking in to the office, Teddy is making a return appointment for a patient, so the women stand off to the side quietly. Mandy walks out and sees them standing there, and makes her way over.

"Hey guys! I see you brought some stragglers," Mandy laughs, pointing at Addie and Christina.

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind. I brought extra from the diner. I probably should have asked first, but we were working and I wanted them to hang around for an interview later."

"Oh, no worries, girl. We always make plenty of food when we cook around here. Come on back, Teddy is just finishing up and then she will put the 'out to lunch' sign up and come back.

When they walk into the break room, Arizona is leaning by the counter and is flipping through a travel magazine. As she sees them walk in, she closes it and smiles at the newcomers.

"Hey Christina... Addie. I didn't know you were coming. It's good to see you."

"Yeah, surprise!" Addie says. "We didn't give her a choice. We made her bring us."

"Yeah. We were hoping you had some alcohol over here. Do you have any? I know you are working today and can't have any, but we don't have patients. We can," Christina says, opening the fridge.

"Christina, you know I don't keep alcohol here. Teddy would spend the day drinking and things would get messy from there..." Arizona says, laughing.

"Arizona, I'd watch your drinking stories right now. Because if you want to tell stories, I can share some," she says, raising her eyebrows and glancing at Callie. She knows Arizona will pick up on what she is insinuating she might share.

Arizona's eyes wonder over to see Callie watching her intently, before turning back to Teddy. "Yeah, probably best we not get into stories today." Turning to Callie, she looks at her for a few seconds before she decides to make an attempt to be nice. "Hey, glad you could make it."

"Um, thanks," Callie says, giving her a small smile. This is a side to Arizona she has not seen before now. She isn't sure what exactly to make of it. Arizona is obviously trying to be nice, but she seems to be a little forced about it at the same time. "So, are you making vacation plans?" Callie asks, pointing to the travel magazine.

"Oh, um… not really. It's just a generic magazine for the waiting room. But it's nice to dream."

"Yeah, it is," Callie says.

The two stand there, just looking at each other after that. Teddy gives them a few seconds to see if they add on to that conversation... which they don't. Finally, she says, "Alright," breaking the awkwardness. "I am starving. What do you have?" She makes her way over to look in the containers that Callie brought with them.

"I am so sorry. I um, didn't get a chance last night to make anything. I had to improvise this morning," Callie apologizes

"Oh, no worries. We saw your car still out there last night and figured you hadn't been home, so we had Arizona actually busy herself in the kitchen and pitch in too," Teddy says.

"I was busy cooking and she was getting busy," Arizona mumbles under her breath.

She really shouldn't have said that. Hindsight is 20/20 though and she would regret that statement in just a few seconds.

"Excuse me?" Callie looks back to Arizona with her eyebrow raised. Callie thinks she heard her right, but surely Arizona isn't implying what she thinks she is.

"Hm?" Arizona asks, looking up to see Callie looking at her. Then... it dawns on her. She actually said that out loud. Why in the world would she do that? She does a mental face palm. She was supposed to be trying to play nice and she is pretty sure this is going to put an end to that.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Um, I just meant, obviously you were gone all weekend, so you were busy."

"No… you said, and I quote, "getting busy," Callie says, with air quotes. I know exactly what you mean.

By this point, the other women in the room are so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Teddy and Mandy are aware of the ongoing situation between the girls and are finding this exchange to be quite interesting. Addie and Christina, though previously unaware, are catching up very quickly on the tension between the two.

Arizona looks to Teddy, almost as if to ask for help, but Teddy just gives her a look letting her know she is on her own this time. "Um, I… I," Arizona fumbles.

"I see you still have a way with words. You are really good at this conversing stuff," Callie says.

"You know what…" Arizona starts, finding her voice. "I'm just saying what it looked like. You were gone, all weekend with a guy... who, by the way, hit on me at the bar a few weeks ago."

"Oh, yeah. He told me about that," Callie says, causing Arizona to just stop and look at her.

"You know what, this food is getting cold. We should probably go ahead and eat," Mandy says, knowing if someone doesn't step in soon, this is going go south quicker than what it already it.

"Yeah," Teddy agrees, reaching for plates to pass them out. The women all awkwardly begin fixing their plates, the other four women in the room chatting while Arizona and Callie continue to sum each other up, finally each filling their own plates as well.

"Callie, you said you have an interview later. What kind?"

"Oh, it's for an x-ray tech. Her name is Meredith Grey. Have you heard of her?"

"Nope, can't say I have. You guys?" Mandy asks, looking to Teddy and Arizona, but receiving negative answers.

"Oh, my goodness," Callie moans, taking a bite of her food. "This is the most delicious lasagna I have ever tasted," she says, moaning again. "Mmmm. Sooo good," she moans, taking another bite. "Who made this? Mmmm," she mumbles around a bite.

Teddy looks over to Arizona and sees her eyes widen as she watches the woman take another bite. Arizona doesn't say anything, apparently too mesmerized to do so. "Yeah, Arizona made it. It is definitely delicious," Teddy says in amusement.

Callie pauses for a second, almost stunned she inadvertently paid the woman a compliment, but finally, without making eye contact, says, "Well, it's very good."

"Um... thanks..." Arizona says, looking down, not wanting to keep looking at the woman. Hearing Callie moan... Arizona did not need to associate that moan coming from that woman. It was going to haunt her in her sleep tonight. She needed to keep telling herself that this woman was obviously taken by a man who told her who else he hits on. She wonders what kind of weird relationship that would be. But then again, that was a few weeks ago. Then it dawns on her... Callie and her boy toy were talking about her, and she can't help what pops out of her mouth next.

"You boyfriend actually told you he hit on me?"

Everyone stops and Callie looks up, realizing Arizona was talking to her. "What?"

"You said he told you he hit on me. You were talking about me?"

"Um, not talking about you. More like... talking of you. I told him I met you and he said he tried to meet you, but you shot him down. That's um, that's really about it."

Arizona looks at her. "What else did you say about me?"

"Um..." Callie looks around to see that the conversation has been halted and once again, all eyes are on them. "He just said he obviously wasn't your type."

"And you talk openly about other people you have hit on? That's weird."

"Well... you know. Pillow talk," Callie says, shrugging, watching as Arizona rolls her eyes at that comment. She knows the conversation involved pillows on different beds, but Arizona doesn't know that. And Callie can't help but start to think Arizona is a little bothered by the fact she was with someone this weekend. Why would that bother her? And then, Callie starts to think back to their first encounter and Mark's comments that night about how Arizona became a little flustered when she came out to talk to her. And... it hits her. Arizona does like the ladies. And so it makes sense, that maybe... just maybe, Arizona might have thought she was pretty. Couple that with her snarky "getting busy" comment and it really made sense. You don't have to like someone to think they are hot.

Arizona sits her fork down, and says, "You know, I just remembered, I am expecting a fax. I was told they would send it over their lunch break. I'm going to go check. Ladies, it was good to see you. Sorry I have to run," she says as she stands up, making her way to the trash can.

"I can check for you as soon as we are done, you aren't finished," Teddy says.

"No, that's ok. Thanks though," she says, looking at Teddy. Looking back to the rest of the women, she says, "Have a nice day guys." With that, she heads out of the room and back to her office. When she gets there, she shuts her door and makes a bee-line for her desk. She sits down and lays her head down. "Why the hell can't I keep my mouth shut around her?"

Back in the break room, Mandy starts to chuckle and looks at Callie. "I don't know what it is about you, but you rattle her cage good."

"The funny thing is, I didn't even do anything today."

"I know. That's what makes it funnier," Mandy says laughing.

The women continue their lunch and share conversation. Callie shares how much they got accomplished this morning and that things seem to be moving right along, ahead of schedule even. They talk about cases they have all had and Callie shares of few of her more bizarre cases.

What they don't know, is that Arizona came out of her office, and is sitting in the other room, listening to their conversation. As she listens, she realizes Teddy and Mandy are right. There is so much more to Callie Torres than just looks. As Arizona hears them wrapping up, she indeed hears the fax machine come to life. She heads over to Teddy's desk and starts collecting the papers that are coming through.

"Katherine O'Malley. Ok Katherine, let's see what we can find to get you out of that coma..." she says to herself, as she heads for her office after putting the papers in a file folder. Walking back to her office, she heads smack dab into Callie, as Callie is walking out of the break room, causing them to come face to face, literally, as Callie knocks Arizona back into the wall.

"I'm so, so sorry... Really..." Callie says, taking a step back. I should have looked before barging out."

"That's ok," Arizona says, taking a breath, inhaling the scent of Callie Torres. She wonders if it would be obvious if she did it again. "I wasn't looking either. Had my head in a file," she says, holding the file up. The two are still standing pretty close together as a throat clears behind them.

"Oh... sorry. Callie says, moving out of the way. I'll uh... see you later."

"Yeah," Arizona says, stepping around her. "See ya."

The foursome behind them all share looks, with Christina and Addie seeing what everyone else has already picked up on. "Well, isn't that interesting," Addie says to Christina quietly.

"Yep. Very..." Christina says, laughing.

"Well," Callie says, making her way to the door. "Thanks for the invite. We will have to do this again."

"Oh, we will," Teddy says, looking at the other three. "Very soon. Actually, here... give me your number. I'll text you," she says handing Callie a pen and post it note.

"Here ya go," Callie says, handing Teddy her number. "Well, we better go. That woman should be here in about ten minutes."

After a promise to call, Teddy watches the women walk out the proceeds to head to Arizona's office.

As she walks in, she sees Arizona sitting with her head on her desk. "Arizona Robbins… You are a total teenage girl around her," she says, shaking her head and chuckling, with Mandy joining her.

"Yep. Girl, you've got it bad. Do you act like that around all the women?"

Arizona looks up and shakes her head. "I don't know what is wrong with me. I'm... I'm a total mess around her."

"You sure are," Mandy says as she and Teddy share a laugh, causing Arizona to throw a box of tissues at them that she has sitting on her desk.

Across the road, as they are waiting on Meredith, Christina looks at Callie and asks, "You ever slept with a chick?"

Callie looks at her, with a confused look. "What? Why would you ask that?"

Looking at Addie, she shakes her head and they both chuckle. "No reason," she says shrugging her shoulders.

Callie doesn't have time to say anything else because the door opens as Meredith Grey arrives for her interview.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Torres Orthopedics is about ready to officially open tomorrow. Addie and Christina have been hard at work, all day, getting patient rooms stocked and ready to go. Callie is in her office going over some paper work and getting patients files lined up for tomorrow. Once they are open, things will fall into place and run smoother, but right now, everyone is pulling double duty to get everything finished in time.

The grand opening ended up getting pushed back a week due to delays in supplies and construction hold ups. But now, everything is back on track and the local paper is scheduled to be here at nine in the morning for the ribbon cutting. Callie was totally opposed to the idea, but Teddy and Addie had talked her into it last week over a lunch at the diner. Lunches have been few and far between because of the hectic schedule she has been keeping in order to get the office opened.

Callie has spent her weekends with her daughter, and Mark even tagged along this past weekend as well. She is thankful he has offered to go with her. The doctors from Mayo have been recommending several new tests, which is good that they are looking at her case, but the tests have been anything but favorable, which then dampens Callie's hopes.

As Callie is responding to an email, she hears someone come through the front door. Wondering who it is, she gets up to head towards the sound. She is surprised to find Teddy, Mandy, and Arizona standing there, with bags of food.

"Surprise," Teddy yells, holding up the bag in her hand. "You guys hungry?"

"Are you kidding? Starving!" Callie says, motioning for them to carry the bags back toward the lunch room, yelling for Addie and Christina to join them.

"This is an unexpected surprise. What's this for?"

"We had a patient keep us over and when we left, saw that you were still here. We know that you haven't stopped much the past couple of weeks, so we thought we would bring you some dinner."

"You guys are amazing," Callie says, looking back over towards them.

Sitting the bags of food down, they all begin to dish food onto their plates. The past two lunches they have had, Arizona has been in her office, working. This is the first time Callie and Arizona have been in the same room in a couple of weeks and Arizona really tried to keep from being here now. Teddy and Mandy unfortunately had other plans for her.

"So, I can't tell you how excited I am! I have been wanting to have Chinese again since Mark bought me some a few weeks ago," Callie says as she begins to dish food onto her plate and dig in.

"Oh, yeah... the weekend away. You have been doing that a good bit... leaving for the weekend," Teddy says, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Yeah. Just a little. So, you guys worked late tonight? That's kind of unusual isn't it?" Callie wanted to get the focus off of herself. She wasn't ready to talk about Katie right at this moment. She loves her daughter, but it's just so hard, especially right now.

"Yeah. We had a patient though that was having some issues with a feeding tube. Took us a little bit to get him situated," Mandy says. "But, I think we finally got it."

"Yeah, it was being a tricky little thing," Arizona says, shaking her head.

"Do pediatricians usually deal with that? I would think you would send them to a specialist for that kind of thing," Christina says, joining in.

"Um, not always. We can actually take care of quite a bit. Arizona is pretty multi-faceted. More than she advertises," Mandy says.

"Yeah," Teddy chips in. "We hear she has many talents. Some of which we aren't going to discuss, because frankly, I don't even know how we know, I just wish we didn't!"

"Teddy!" Arizona yells, not believing her ears, while Callie obviously wasn't expecting that statement and unfortunately, had just taken a drink. Callie's drink ends up all over Arizona. Literally.

As Callie coughs, looking for napkins, for herself and Arizona, she is mortified. The women all scramble to help them out, looking for napkins, unable to find any.

"I'm so sorry!" Callie says.

"No... I would call this one Teddy's fault," Arizona says, glaring at her.

"Guys, they didn't pack us napkins," Teddy says.

"And we haven't totally unpacked boxes in here, so we don't have any paper towels," Addie says.

"Come with me..." Callie says, looking at Arizona. Arizona nods and glares at Teddy as she gets up and follows Callie.

"Here, come in here," Callie says, reaching her office and turning on the light, letting Arizona walk in first. Callie follows and leads her to the back of her office where there is a small bathroom.

"Here," Callie says, reaching under the sink and handing Arizona a hand towel. Looking at Arizona's shirt, she walks to the closet and pulls out a shirt and hands it to Arizona. "Why don't you put this on. I am so, so sorry. I can't believe I did that. I am so, so embarrassed."

"You are embarrassed? Teddy just pretty well called me a ho."

That causes Callie to bust out laughing. "Ok. Maybe you win this one. But, hey, at least it sounds like you are a talented one?"

"Did you seriously just say that?"

"Sorry?" Callie asks, smiling.

"Nice try. Not only are you picking on me, you have me all wet."

As soon as she says it, Arizona can't help but do a mental face palm as she sees Callie's eyes widen. "I didn't... mean it like that. I..."

"I know what you meant," Callie says, chuckling. I'll leave you to... clean up. Nobody likes to walk around uncomfortably... wet."

"Oh my gosh. I don't know that this can get any worse," Arizona says, hiding her head in her hands.

Chuckling, Callie walks out of the bathroom, leaving Arizona to freshen up. As soon as Callie walks out, Arizona takes a second to compose herself. That wasn't the exchange that she was expecting. Although Callie seemed a little surprised at Teddy's comment at first, she didn't shy away from the topic.

Outside the bathroom, Callie is wondering what just got into her. She was making sexy innuendos... to another woman. And not just any woman, the woman that she has barely had a civil conversation with up until tonight.

When Arizona walks out of the bathroom wearing Callie's shirt, Callie takes a second to watch the other woman. Her shirt hangs just a touch loose around the neck, showing more of Arizona's shoulder than she has seen before. For some reason, Callie can't look away, and thinks back to what Mark said, about how Arizona just might think she is attractive.

"Thanks. For the shirt," Arizona says, as she feels Callie's eyes on her. Being in Callie's office, in Callie's shirt, is leaving Arizona to feel somewhat exposed.

"Um, no problem. I learned a long time ago that a change of clothes is essential to dealing with patients. It's the first thing I brought in. But... It's my fault. For making you wet."

"Callie..." Arizona says, as she gets closer to the woman. She realizes she really should say something. Maybe Callie is used to joking with other women, but Arizona is having thoughts that she shouldn't be having. So maybe she needs to point out that she shouldn't really joke with someone like herself when you look like Callie. Because what this little back and forth banter is doing to Arizona, Callie probably has no clue.

"Your boyfriend would probably get jealous if he found that out," Arizona says, rather slowly. She is standing right in front of Callie at this point, watching her. She is waiting to see if Callie realizes she is playing with fire or not.

Realizing how close Arizona is getting to her, makes Callie's breath hitch. She has never been this close to another woman, in this way. She realizes at this moment, everything she thought about herself, may have been wrong. Maybe she doesn't know herself at all, because all of a sudden, she has thoughts she has never had before.

"You know, you are a mystery to me," Callie tells her. "We have yet to have a really nice conversation. And yet, here we are. In the same room. You with your hands in my shirt. Literally."

"Callie, I think you should stop," Arizona says, shaking her head. "Don't keep saying things like that, because you are starting to sound like maybe you wouldn't mind it. And if I think that's a possibility, then I might do something that you might not really want me to. And I'm not that kind of woman. I don't take what belongs to someone else.

"Arizona..." Callie whispers, her eyes wondering down to Arizona's lips. "You should know, Mark isn't my boyfriend. Mark is just a friend."

"Oh, I thought..."

"Yeah. I know. I never really corrected you guys."

"No. You didn't," Arizona says, looking at Callie's lips.

"I um..." Callie starts to say something else when they are interrupted.

"Arizona! I just got a call from..." Teddy walks in holding her phone up, but stops when she sees the two women standing so close together. "Oh! I'm sorry... I didn't mean to interrupt. It's just," Teddy holds the phone up. "Anthony's mom called. They are in the ER. she says he is coughing up blood."

"Oh, Ok. I uh..." Arizona takes a step away but looks back at Callie. "I um, we need to go. I will, give you your shirt back later."

"Um, Yeah. That's... that's fine. No hurry," Callie says.

"Arizona... we need to go," Teddy says, pointing towards the door. Mandy is grabbing the car.

"Yeah, ok. Let's go..." Arizona says, looking at Callie one more time before following Teddy out.

When Arizona leaves, Callie walks over to her desk and sits down. "Oh my gosh. What in the hell just happened?"

"Hey," Addie says, walking in to see Callie sitting at her desk. "You ok? We were starting to wonder if you strangled each other back here."

"Um no. Nothing like that," Callie says, shaking her head.

"What's going on?" Addie asks, kind of worried.

"Um... I don't even know where to start. I mean, Arizona and I... we don't like each other. And yet, we were just here, talking and..." Callie stops and looks up at Addie, afraid she is going to be judged.

"Can I tell you something? Without you getting mad?"

"Addie..."

"No... Listen. I know we don't know each other that well. And I have never seen what you look like when you like someone, but... I'm guessing, it's a lot like this right here," Addie says, pointing to Callie. "Because even if you two haven't seen it, when the two of you are together... I don't know. There are sparks. Big ones. And we all see them. Sometimes, it's the people who drive us nuts that we are attracted to the most."

"I've never dated a woman, Addie. Never. But there is something about her that just... gets under my skin and draws me in at the same time."

"We know. Like I said, we all see it. So maybe, just maybe, you need to realize it isn't that you don't like her, but maybe that you do."

Nodding, Callie says, "Yeah, I think you might be right."

XXXXXXX

"What the hell did I walk into?" Teddy asks Arizona as they get into the car.

"Teddy, I love you, but I'm not talking about this right now."

"I think we need to. You were in there for twenty minutes. And when I walk in, you look like you are getting ready to jump her bones."

"I did not!"

"Yeah, you did. So, you probably need to chill. She has a boyfriend, Arizona. You don't steal people away."

"Robbins... do I need to remind you what happened the last time someone had a significant other?"

"Ok... For one, I didn't know she had a significant other. Two... He isn't her boyfriend."

"Oh."

"Yeah. She never said he was, she just... never corrected us."

"So... you would have kissed her if Teddy hadn't walked in?"

"I don't know. Maybe?" Arizona says.

"Maybe my ass. You should have seen them," Teddy says.

"Let's just change the subject for now. We need to figure out what's going on with Anthony..."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Every new day brings new possibilities. Some we see coming from a mile away. Others, they can sneak up on us. Possibilities can change our life, our way of thinking, our way of seeing the world. Most importantly, they can give us hope. Hope for things we didn't know we needed or wanted.

Callie Torres is cutting the ribbon for the grand opening of Torres Orthopedics, right this very second. She has known since she became a doctor, this is what she wanted to do and she sought to make it a possibility. Today... it becomes a reality.

Standing right behind her, are her new co-workers and friends. Addie, Christina, and Meredith are donned in fresh scrubs, ready to tackle this new adventure with her. Standing alongside them, are several of the local business owners and employees. Among those, are also new friends, Teddy, Mandy, and surprisingly, Arizona Robbins. Teddy informed her this morning that they rescheduled some patients to be able to be here for the event.

Little acts of kindness go a long way and today, Callie is feeling blessed. From her friends and family that are unable to be here, including her parents, Mark, and her former boss, Richard Webber- who encouraged her every step of the way with her cartilage research... all sent flowers that are adorning her waiting room. They have sent support when they can't be here themselves.

As the ribbon is cut and cheers are heard, the flash goes off for a picture that will accompany an article in the paper tonight. Once that is done, Callie gives a quick speech thanking everyone for coming to support her. She is somewhat overwhelmed at the generosity of her business neighbors and wants to make sure they know she appreciates it.

Once Callie thanks them one last time, everyone starts to disburse. Callie's co-workers head inside as the other owners head back to their places of business. Callie's first patient is already here so she is quickly trying to pick up a few things to head in to join them, when she hears a throat clear behind her. When she turns around, she is surprised to see Arizona standing there. She looks and sees that Teddy and Mandy are already back across the street so Callie is unsure of what Arizona could want.

Last night, Callie had time to do a lot of thinking as she was up late in the office. She didn't come to any particular conclusions, but she knows things may possibly never be the same for her.

"Hey," Arizona says, taking in the sight of Callie in her petite-cut business suit. She has always thought the woman was stunning, but right now, it almost takes her breath away.

"Hey." Callie stands there, also taking note that Arizona is a little more dressed up today as well. With other business owners at the opening, Callie is sure Arizona wanted to dress a little more business-like because of that. Not that she hasn't always looked professional, but she is also wearing a woman's suit today.

"Um... congratulations," Arizona says, nervously. She isn't sure she should be here right now, but her feet didn't give her mind a say in the decision. They had a mind all of their own.

"Thanks."

The women stand there for a second before Arizona continues. "I won't keep you, but I um, I just wanted to say... I um..." Arizona shakes her head. What is it about this woman. She just does things to her. She just can't seem to function around her at times. "I'm sorry," Arizona half chuckles. "I always seem to do this around you."

"I may have noticed," Callie chuckles nervously. "It seems to be a habit. I'm not sure how you get all those women Teddy talks about if you are like this around everyone," Callie says, causing Arizona to blush.

"I seem to reserve this for just you, for some reason," Arizona reaches up and scratches the side of her neck nervously as Callie watches her carefully. "Um, look, would you, maybe... want to go grab a drink tonight? Like a grand opening celebration drink? My treat."

"Um, I don't know... I have a lot of stuff still to do and I just, I don't know if it's um, you know... If it's a good idea right now."

"Because your busy or because...? You know what... never mind. I just, I just thought I would throw it out there," she says looking at her watch. "Oh, I better go. Teddy is going be out here any minute wondering where I am. I'll uh, see you later. Good luck today." And with that, Arizona turns and rushes across the street.

"Thanks," Callie says quietly, knowing Arizona didn't hear her. Turning to walk back in, she stops at the door and looks back across the street, just in time to see that Arizona had turned around and was watching. She gives her a small wave as Arizona does the same, then they both head into their office.

"I thought you were right behind us until we got to the door," Teddy says. "Then I saw you over their flirting. How did that work out for you?"

"Yeah. Well, I don't think that counted as flirting. That would require a complete, coherent sentence, and as usual… that didn't happen. And it appears it wouldn't have done any good anyway."

"What do you mean it wouldn't do any good? Seemed to be working for you last night."

"Yeah, well, apparently that was last night. I don't really want to talk about it. I am expecting another fax from Dr. Tanner. Let me know when it comes. I think we are about ready to either make a break-through or hit a road block. If it's the latter, it's not going to be good."

"Ok. Well, little Marcy is in room one. They are here early so Mandy went ahead and took them back."

Arizona nods and heads to the patient's room, ready to begin her day.

XXXXXXX

"Callie, Mr. Thompson is set up in room A. Christina has his old files pulled up he had sent from his last doctor but Meredith has the machine warming up if you want new films."

"Thanks, Addie," Callie says, sitting down her scissors and ribbon from outside. She goes to walk away when Addie stops her.

"You ok? I saw you talking to Robbins out there."

"Uh, yeah. She was just wishing me good luck today."

"That's very cordial of her."

"Yeah. Well, I better get in there," Callie says, pointing to the room.

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean, is that all? She was just being neighborly."

"Neighbors don't usually look nervous as hell when they wish you good luck."

"Well... that was it," Callie shrugs as she heads to see her first patient. To be honest, Callie isn't sure why she is hiding the fact that Arizona asked her out for a drink. After all, it was just a friendly drink. She didn't ask for a date or anything like that.

Addie knows the small chat was more than just a good luck chat. And she also knows Callie herself is nervous as hell over the growing attraction between the two and probably doesn't want to draw more attention to it than need be. She pulls her phone out and texts Teddy across the road, wondering if Arizona said anything when she walked in. Addie finds out that there was apparently something that went on, but it didn't work in Arizona's favor.

XXXXXXX

"Arizona," Teddy says, walking into Arizona's office. "Here is the fax you were waiting on," Teddy says, watching Arizona open it.

"Damn it."

"Doesn't sound like the results you were hoping for."

"No, it's not. Little Katherine is one puzzle of a little girl. I just don't get it," she says, scanning the rest of the contents of the fax. "This little girl has been in a coma for a little over two years. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, on any of the tests that would pinpoint a cause. Nothing. I mean, they could keep her on support for the next who knows how many years, and nothing would change."

"Did she just fall into a coma or did something happen?"

"She fell off something in daycare. See, usually you would be able to see the trauma and know why they are in the coma. In this case, they know she fell and hit her head, but there is no evidence of any trauma. So, it just doesn't make sense."

"That's unfortunate."

"It is. And the thing is, the longer they wait, the more likely there will be long term damage that we can't even begin to predict. I mean, even if we were to figure this out now, this little girl would basically need to learn to do everything all over again. She would most likely, given her age at the time and the length of time she has been in the coma... she would need to learn how to walk and talk and function, all over again. That would be a good case scenario. Odds are good that there would be impairments impossible to predict. And the parents... that would be so hard on them. I just can't help but feel for them. It's a tough decision for sure."

"I don't envy you any. You have a tough job with life or death decisions most of us can't even comprehend making," Teddy says, leaving Arizona to look at the file.

XXXXXXX

The last patient just left for the day and Callie plops down in the chair in front of Addie's desk. About that time, the phone rings and Addie answers. "Callie, this is Katie's doctor. I'll forward it to your office."

Callie becomes anxious with each call she receives now. It is never good news and it makes her wish that they would almost stop doing tests. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. It leads you to believe, if only for a little while, there may be some hope.

Callie goes into her office and takes the call. Teddy watches as she comes back out, around ten minutes later, with tears falling down her cheeks.

"I'm going to um, go ahead and get out of here. I need to just get out for a little bit," Callie says, pointing towards the door.

"Honey… are you ok? Did something happen?" Addie stands to walk over towards Callie, putting her hands on Callie's shoulder.

"No. But that's kind of the problem. I just… I just need to go out and clear my head. Thank you, for everything today. Tell Meredith and Christina thanks for me and I will see you all tomorrow."

"Maybe I can go with you? Maybe just be there…in case you want to talk?"

"I appreciate it. I really do. I just need a little time to myself tonight though."

"Ok. Just call if you need me and I'll be right there."

"Thank you, Addie."

XXXXXXX

Arizona has not had a date in three weeks. She isn't counting, and as a matter of fact, hasn't even noticed, until she walks into Jax and sees her last fling sitting at the bar watching her. Arizona tries to act like she didn't see the woman, but it's too late. She is already on the move and heading towards Arizona.

"Well, I wondered where you have been hiding," the woman says, approaching her, reaching out to run her hand up Arizona's arm.

"I've been busy," Arizona says, pulling her arm away from the woman. A few weeks ago, she wouldn't have thought anything about taking this woman and leaving right this second. Right now, that's the last thing she wants to do.

"Oh, someone is a little grouchy tonight. Maybe that's something I can... help you with," the woman says, having tried to lean in closer, only for Arizona to take a step back.

"Look, I'm sorry, but that isn't happening again," Arizona says, trying to walk away.

"Oh, come on. You aren't here with anyone. Let me buy you a drink."

"Look, I've tried to be nice, but apparently that isn't working with you. A friend is meeting me but even if they weren't, I'm not interested."

"You were a few weeks ago," the woman says seductively.

"Yeah, well, not now." With that, Arizona brushes past her and makes her way to the other side of the bar, away from the past fling. She places her order and pulls her phone out to send Teddy a text telling her to hurry.

As she sips on her drink, she gets a text a few minutes later. Looking at her phone, she sees that it is Teddy. Teddy informs her she had a water leak under the sink and is stuck cleaning up a mess and won't be able to make it. A little disappointed, Arizona decides to order some food and then head home.

Halfway through her dinner, she happens to glance up just in time to see Callie sit down and order a drink. She watches the woman and is somewhat upset that she turned down drinks with her, just to come for drinks anyway.

"Well, I guess it was just me that she didn't want the drinks with," Arizona mumbles to herself. She all of a sudden doesn't have much of an appetite, so she pulls out money to pay her bill and sits it on the table. She goes to stand but notices Callie stands as well, and makes her way toward a table in the back of the room. For some reason, Arizona finds herself having a seat, once again, and watches the brunette sit down, putting her coat and purse on the chair next to hers.

Arizona can't help but to just watch the woman. She notices that Callie looks upset and has possibly been crying. She is still beautiful, but her make-up isn't as perfect as it was when she saw her this morning.

She sees that Callie slowly sips her drink. She appears to be alone as no one has joined her yet. Arizona contemplates joining her, but decides against it for the time being.

XXXXXXX

Callie finishes her drink and catches a waitress to order another. When she left her office earlier, she went for a drive. She found a nice little spot by the lake to sit for a while and pull herself together. Nothing has to change. She can keep doing what she has been doing. She can keep working and then spending the weekends with Katie. She can keep waiting on new tests and studies, just like she has been. But for some reason, she feels like time is fleeting more quickly and that maybe it is time to reconsider her options.

When she became a parent, she thought the three a.m. feedings would be the worst part of parenting and it would get easier from there. Boy was she ever wrong.

When she was called by the daycare and told there had been an accident, her world changed, forever. She had no idea what she would face, watching her child lay there… day after day, month after month. She would wonder if she would ever get to hear her little girl's laugh again….wonder if she would ever feel those little arms around her neck and hear her say, "I love you, mommy."

She sips her second drink, taking her time. There is no rush tonight. She already decided the extra work she had can wait.

Callie watches the crowd begin to loosen up and hit the dance floor. She orders one more drink… a beer this time. After finishing it, she starts to feel the weight of the world begin to lift from her shoulders, if only for a little while. She stands and heads for the dance floor. The music is fast and she is more than happy to join in.

XXXXXXX

Arizona hasn't left her stool in a while, but watching Callie. It is more than obvious something is bothering her. Arizona had expected celebratory drinks, not what she has been witnessing.

When she sees Callie stand from her seat to head to the dance floor, she notices how Callie starts moving with the music. She watches as Callie's arms find their way into the air and begin swaying. She also watches as Callie's hips begin to move and when she sees that, Arizona is a goner. No other woman could ever have a body that compares to the one she is watching.

She can't take her eyes off of the mesmerizing woman. She observes for a few more minutes, taking her all in, when she sees a man begin to notice Callie. He dances closer and finally gets to where he is right behind her. He dances close, but not touching and Callie knows he is there. She looks around to acknowledge him then turns back around to continue dancing. This continues for a few songs, the man leaning in to say something every now and then.

Finally, Arizona realizes that she can't sit here and just watch any longer. After last night, she knows that there is something between them. It wasn't just in her mind. There is something there. It is an undeniable chemistry. Deciding that being shot down once in a day might not be enough, she makes her way through the dance floor and approaches the brunette and the man dancing with her, from behind. She reaches up and taps on the man's shoulder, nodding that she wants to cut in. The man looks at her in disbelief but shakes his head and walks off. Not that she needed it this time, but she would have been more insistent if need be.

After the man moves and Arizona takes his place, Callie is still unaware that she has a new dancing partner. The song comes to an end and then is almost immediately replaced by something a little slower. Arizona doesn't give Callie a chance to turn around and steps right up behind her, putting her left arm around Callie's waste and her right hand on Callie's hip, immediately starting to sway with the song. Callie dances for a bit before looking down to notice the appearance of the other hand, when she realizes there is no way that hand belongs to the gentleman who was just there.

She goes to turn around when Arizona suddenly senses what she is doing. Arizona steps into her and pulls Callie flush against her body, causing a flurry of feelings to erupt in her stomach. She leans in when she feels Callie starting to strain to turn around, and whispers in her ear, "Just. One. Dance. That's all I am asking for."

Callie's breath hitches when she realizes Arizona is indeed the one she is flush against. She can feel Arizona's breasts pressing into her back, causing a feeling she has never felt before, to overtake her. The only thing she can think to do is nod.

They continue to dance for another minute before Arizona releases Callie and turns her around. They come face to face and Arizona has never felt how she is feeling right now. She really doesn't even know this woman, and yet, there is a pull between them she can't explain.

Callie on the other hand, is now faced with the reality that she can deny her attraction for the woman in front of her all she wants, but it would be futile. Arizona puts her left arm around Callie and pulls her closer, with Callie putting her arm up around Arizona's back and resting it on her shoulder. Their opposite hands find each other and Arizona grips Callie's hand, pulling it up to cradle it on her chest as she pulls Callie impossibly closer.

"Arizona, I..."

"Callie..." Arizona interrupts. "Please?" Arizona almost sounds desperate. She can't help but feel a need to be here with Callie.

Callie nods and the two women dance. Their feet moving just enough to cause them to move in small circles around the floor. The song changes and the women don't seem to notice, as their positions don't change and they seem lost in their own little world when the gentleman from earlier taps on Arizona's shoulder.

"Mind if I cut back in?"

Arizona takes a step back and looks at Callie. She then starts to take a step away when she is stopped by Callie reaching out to grab her hand. Callie looks at her, then turns to the man. "I'm sorry, but I'm good right where I'm at." The man holds his arms up as if to say it's her choice, then walks away.

"You were going to give up that easy?"

Arizona looks at Callie, surprised by the question. "You weren't exactly thrilled when you saw it was me to begin with. I um, I only asked for one dance so when he came over, I didn't want to make you mad."

"I… was actually pretty content where I was. But if you want to go…" Callie says, somewhat shyly, looking up at Arizona.

"God, no," Arizona blurts out, then realizing how eager she sounded. "I mean… no. As long as that's ok with you?"

Callie responds by holding her hand out for Arizona to take, smiling bashfully as she does just that.

"You know, I thought you were too busy for drinks?" Arizona asks, pulling Callie in close to her again.

"Yeah…I'm sorry. I really didn't intend to be here tonight. It's just… I really can't talk about it right now, I just needed to get out. I really am sorry…I really wasn't lying when I said I had things going on. I just… I needed to get out though."

Nodding, Arizona continues to lead Callie around the dance floor. Occasionally, Arizona will tilt her head in, just a little, and inhale the scent that is Callie. If Callie notices, she doesn't say anything. Truth be told, Callie has been doing the same thing. She is used to the scent of a man's cologne or herself wearing perfume. She usually isn't this close to women for a long period of time, so even the smell of another woman like this is new to her.

Arizona takes the hand that is holding Callie's on the top of her chest, and lets go. She takes her right hand, and can't help but trace Callie's jawline with the tips of her fingers. She doesn't say anything, but reaches up to put a strand of her that has fallen down, back behind Callie's ear. She then leans her head forward, just a little, so that their noses are almost touching.

Callie has never in her life been intimate with a woman. The way Arizona is holding her and touching her face, is almost more than she can handle. And not even because Arizona is a woman, but because she has never felt a connection quite like this.

"Does this make you uncomfortable?" Arizona asks, looking Callie in the eyes.

"Um, no," Callie says, slightly shaking her head as she whispers. "It doesn't." Callie says, watching Arizona carefully.

"I'm sorry I'm not usually coherent around you, Callie. You just do things to me that I have never in my life, experienced. I am usually pretty well put together and just being in the same room with you... it turns me into a mess and I can't hardly think or form thoughts and I know... I know you have to think I'm like this all the time, but I promise you, I'm not. And I hope one day, you get to see the put-together side of me. Because there is so much more to me than what you have witnessed so far."

"Arizona, I think you just did an amazing job of sounding like a... normal human," Callie smiles.

"Oh, gee, thanks," Arizona scoffs.

"That's not quite what I meant. It's just... what you just said? That's the sweetest thing that anyone has ever said to me. And after seeing this side of you, the way you are right now, if there is a more put-together version, I think I'd rather pass. Because this person with me right now, seems pretty special."

"If that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to you, then you haven't been around the right people," Arizona says as she let's her hand side down to the side of Callie's neck.

"Probably not," Callie agrees, shaking her head.

"I love dancing with you," Arizona says, as she once again raises her hand and runs her finger down Callie's jaw line. She then takes her finger and traces Callie's lips... her eyes flickering from Callie's lips up to Callie's eyes. "But as much as I like it... do you want to maybe get out of here? We can go and just talk?" She knows it is a risky question. One she is sure Callie may not be ready for, especially after her response this morning to an invitation of drinks.

"Um, you know," Callie says, looking at the time, "I probably should get home. I have to be at the office early in the morning and the last thing I need is to drag myself in because I was out so late.

"Oh, yeah. That's fine. I wasn't even thinking about the time," Arizona says, agreeing, but feeling disappointed. "Well, why don't you get your things and I'll walk you out. If that's ok?" Arizona asks.

"Um, yeah. Of course. Just let me grab them."

"Ok, let me grab mine too and I'll meet you by the door," Arizona says.

True to her word, Arizona grabs her things while Callie is doing the same, then they meet by the front door as promised. Arizona holds the door open for her and leads her out into the muggy fall air. "You know, you didn't have to walk me out," Callie says.

"Yeah, I did. With you leaving, I had no reason to want to stay."

"I'm sure you could have found someone else. There were a few that were staring."

"Callie, I can assure you, they were staring at you."

"Yeah, I don't think so. I haven't had anyone look my way in years. Not even my husband. Well... ex-husband. But still, you didn't have to leave."

As they reach Callie's car, the one Arizona has really grown accustomed to seeing over the past several weeks, Arizona grabs Callie's hand and turns her, pushing her back against her car. "Then like I said, you haven't been around the right people. Because Callie, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life."

"You know, I think you probably tell everyone that."

Arizona starts to take a step back, then steps in even closer to Callie, causing their breasts to push together. "I won't lie, I have seen pretty women. The thing is, I can assure you, none of them have held a candle to you. And while that may seem like a cheesy pick-up line, I can assure you, it's not. When I tell you that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, I promise you, that's something I have only ever said to you."

"Arizona, please don't say things you don't mean. I have a lot on my plate, actually, more than you know. And I have things I need to tell you because it might change what you think you are feeling right now, and..."

"Are you seeing someone?" Arizona cuts her off.

"No... It's not that, it's..."

"Then it won't change the way I see you right now," Arizona whispers.

"It's just... sometimes things aren't what they seem and I don't want you to get..."

"Oh my god... Arizona says, her eyes lighting up with some sort of realization. "I have to go! I'm so sorry. Thank you... thank you! I think you may have just given me a new idea on a case I'm working on!" Arizona says, leaning in to give Callie a quick kiss on the cheek, surprising her."

"Oh," Callie says, reaching up to put her hand on her cheek. "Ok..."

Letting go of Callie's hand, Arizona takes a step back, with a huge smile on her face. "I'm sorry... really. I need to go though. You may have just helped a little girl more than you will ever know."

"No, that's ok. Go. Some kid is going to be lucky to have you on their case."

"I hope so..." Arizona says, smiling. She takes a step closer and leans in once again, and places another kiss on Callie's cheek. "I really want to kiss you right now, but I am going to wait. Because when I do kiss you, I want it to be somewhere more romantic than a parking lot. When I kiss you, I want you to never forget it, so... it needs to be way more romantic than a bar parking lot..." With that, Arizona takes a step back and gives Callie the biggest dimpled smile Callie has ever got to witness.

"Ok."

"Ok?" Arizona asks, with her eyebrow raised.

"Um, yeah," Callie nods, smiling, almost embarrassed.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one not able to come up with words. Makes me feel a lot better about myself. I'll see you later, Callie," Arizona says with a wink, walking backwards for a few seconds before turning and heading to her own car.

Callie smiles to herself before getting in her car to head home. This has been a night she wasn't expecting, at all. Arizona on the other hand, is heading back to the office to look at Katherine's file. Maybe they have been looking at this all wrong...


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Teddy Altman walks into the office at her normal time. She heads to the break room to put her lunch away and find a rack to hang her coat on. Once that is done, she heads back to her desk to start up her computer and begin pulling files for when Arizona arrives. Little does she know, Arizona is already there, and makes herself known as she flies out of her office and heads to the fax machine.

"Did you pull something out of here already?" Arizona asks, looking at Teddy for an answer.

"No. I just sat down. What are you doing here? Wait... how long have you been here?" Teddy asks, giving Arizona a disbelieving look. "Arizona, are you only here early to get that stupid spot?"

"No! I actually came in last night," Arizona says.

"That's even worse!"

"No, I didn't come last night for the stupid spot. I had a thought about Dr. Tanner's patient, Katherine. I had to come in and look back over some things. I think maybe we have all been going about this wrong. I know that they test for everything when a child goes into a coma, but they were also operating under the assumption she was fine before she fell and hit her head. BUT... What if things weren't as we thought. What if something happened before she fell, and that caused the fall where she hit her head. It could be we were looking for what happened after she fell and we need to be looking at what happened before."

Arizona came in last night with a hunch she couldn't shake, and the more she has scanned back through the files she has been sent, she is further convincing herself that she is onto something.

"I called Dr. Tanner and requested a few more things. I just feel like we are missing something."

"So, you were at Jax when I texted you. What got you thinking about this last night?"

"Oh. Um, nothing really."

"Arizona Robbins. Do not forget we have known each other for years, and I can tell when you are lying," Teddy says, giving her the stink eye.

Rolling her eyes, Arizona says, "I was just at Jax, and someone said something and it just kind of hit me..."

Watching Arizona be kind of elusive about it, she takes her best friend duties seriously and decides to push her some more. "Who were you talking to?"

"A woman."

Teddy Altman would have possibly let it go at that, if it had not been for the dreamy look that accompanied Arizona's answer.

"Arizona, I could be kind right now and let this go. But… you aren't getting so freaking lucky. So… spill."

"Teddy… Nothing happened and it is too early to talk about it. And it might not go anywhere so why talk about something that might not go anywhere?"

"That was a ramble if I ever heard one. And you always talk about who you sleep with."

"We didn't sleep together. I told you, nothing happened."

"Arizona, I'm sure whoever it us, would appreciate the fact that you aren't going all over town and blabbing about it."

"Yeah."

"Unless you aren't saying anything because you don't want to ruin possible chances with Callie by talking about someone else."

Arizona doesn't say anything so Teddy knows she is on the right track. "So that's it? You don't want Callie to know?"

"Can we pleeease... let this go?"

"Ok…so that isn't quite it…Oh!" Teddy yells. "Oh my gosh…it was Callie… wasn't it?" Teddy says, walking closer to Arizona to get a better read on the woman.

"No."

"Liar. I just told you two minutes ago I can tell when you are lying," Teddy says, pointing right at her, waiting on Arizona to respond.

Arizona sighs, knowing she can't get out of this. "Fine. She was at Jax. By herself. I watched her for a little bit,"

"Creepy much?" Teddy utters.

"Shut up. It isn't like that. She seemed depressed, which... for the day she had, I would have thought she would have been in a good mood. So, it worried me and I watched. Then I watched her dance. And then I watched her dance with some guy. And I couldn't stand it, so I went and cut in. And then someone tried to cut in and she turned them down to dance with me some more."

"Ok. She actually turned someone else down to dance with you? Also, why was she upset?"

"Is that so hard to believe she wanted to dance with me? And, I don't know. She didn't want to talk about it and I didn't push. And later, she acted like she might talk, but I didn't want to ruin the moment. Because, it was… a moment. A… great moment. And I just wanted to keep it that way," Arizona shrugs.

"So…did you kiss her?"

"No. It wasn't the right time. She deserves more than a kiss in a bar parking lot."

"I'm… not sure what to say. You would usually sleep with anyone, almost anywhere. So, this… is new," Teddy admits, smiling.

Arizona just looks at her and gives her a smile. "This is new. And we don't know each other and it might not go anywhere. But Teddy…I really want it to. She is smart and beautiful and, and… and I don't even know her. If I think that about her now, what happens if I get to know her. Which makes me nervous to get to know her because I want to like everything about her and I'm afraid if I get to know her, maybe she isn't as great as she seems. Teddy… I have never, ever had these feelings about someone before. So, I just... I don't want to talk about it and maybe ruin something before it even happens. Because she was married and I don't know that she has ever been in a relationship with a woman. And maybe this will freak her out, you know? And I don't want to freak her out by talking about it to everyone and then have her get embarrassed and wish I wouldn't have said anything to anyone."

Teddy doesn't say anything and just lets Arizona talk. She has never heard the blonde talk about someone like this before and is surprised at the sincerity Arizona is speaking with.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you? I mean, we have had a handful of conversations, and half of those we were insulting each other."

"Like I told you the other night, we have all been able to see it. Sounds like you two are finally catching up with us. Now…. About Katherine, what do you think you are missing?"

"I don't know. I just…feel like we have missed something."

"I have worked with you long enough to know that if you feel that way, that's probably the case."

"I know. Well, let me know when my patients are ready. I'm going to go close my eyes for a few minutes. And let me know when Dr. Tanner sends the next fax."

"Sure thing, sweets," Teddy says, as Arizona heads back to her office for a little while.

XXXXXXX

Addie registers the last patient of the day, then locks the front door. Callie said she needs to leave no later than five o'clock. It's Friday, which means that Callie will leave the small town and head to the big city to see her daughter.

As she sits back down, she hears someone try to open the door. As she turns around, ready to point out the closed sign, she is met with none other than Arizona Robbins. She heads back to the door and pulls it open, letting the blonde woman in.

"Hey… what brings you to this neck of the woods? You know I still don't bat for your team, right?"

"Shut up Addie. I thought we were never going to bring that up again? I was drunk. And it was Halloween and you had a wig on. Let's move past it, please?" Arizona asks, shaking her head.

"Just messing with ya. But, that is still funny," Addie says, laughing.

"I'll call you next week Mrs. Hart, and we will see what that MRI says," Callie says, coming out of a patient's room and walking her out to the door. She holds it open so the patient can leave. When the patient is gone, she turns around and Addie is still chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Callie asks Addie, surprised to see Arizona here.

"Oh, just teasing Arizona about me turning her down a while ago," Addie says, laughing.

"I um, didn't realize you had a thing for Addie," Callie says, looking at Arizona and walking past them. She starts to head back to the last patient for the day. She stops when Arizona starts talking.

"I don't. That's not what happened. At all. It was a Halloween party and I had too much to drink. I was drunk. I didn't know who she was because she was wearing a wig and looked nothing like her. I don't remember it, at all, but apparently I hit on her."

"I see. Well, I need to get in there," Callie says, pointing to her last room of the day. "So, I'll see you later."

Callie goes to walk away and Arizona moves into gear and catches up to her before she can get too far away.

"Wait. I wanted," Arizona says, looking sheepish, "I um... would..."

Callie cuts her off by asking, "I'm going to save you from your inability to form sentences again... so just out of curiosity, were you drunk last night?"

"What? No... of course not. Why, um, why would you ask that?"

"Apparently that's a thing you do, according to you and Addie, so I just wanted to see if you remembered last night."

"Callie," Arizona says, stepping closer to Callie. "I remember _every_ little detail of last night. I don't remember a party from five years ago, because I didn't want to be there and drank all night. But last night, I remember. I remember how your hand felt in mine, how your hair smells like lavender and I couldn't seem to get close enough to you. And... I remember how I couldn't stop thinking about you even after I left."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. Don't let Addie put thoughts in your head," Arizona says, as she stares at Addie who has been listening to every word. Looking back to Callie, she says, "Look, I'm sorry I'm keeping you. I know you have a patient to get to. I just wanted to see if you maybe wanted to have dinner with me tonight. I'll even cook."

Surprised by the honesty in her voice, Callie regretfully says, "I um, I can't. I have somewhere I need to be tonight. Actually, I'll be gone the whole weekend."

"Oh, ok. I just... thought I would ask. I'll um, let you go get back to your patient," Arizona says, with a sad smile turning to leave

"Arizona," Callie says, reaching for her hand. "It's, it's just that I,"

"Callie, I hate to interrupt, but we are running behind and I have a date tonight," Christina says, barging out into the waiting room. "Let's go..." Callie loves Christina as a nurse. She does her job well. Her people skills leave a lot to be desired though and she has an inability to be able to read the room.

Pulling her hand away from Callie, Arizona says, "It's ok. I'll, see you later."

The minute she said that, Christina shoves the next file into Callie's hands, catching her off guard, and pulls her away... not giving her a chance to say anything else. When Callie regains her composure, she turns back just in time to see the door close. Sighing, she realizes she just let Arizona leave, thinking she didn't want to have dinner with her.

She walks into the room to take care of her last patient. Luckily, they do not need x-rays, so as soon as she examines the patient and writes a prescription, they are done for the evening. Christina and Meredith left as soon as they had the all-clear, for a double-date, leaving Addie and Callie to lock up.

"Are you just going to let her think you don't want to have dinner with her? Because, for someone who started out pretty tongue-tied, she got her act together pretty quick earlier."

"I know. She was like that last night too."

"So, what exactly happened last night? Sounds like it might have been a little steamy. Not that I was listening or anything."

"Right... of course you weren't," Callie says giving her the side-eye. "I went to Jax...," Callie says, telling her the story of what happened last night. "I don't know what to do. I have never felt like this before. I guess I'm having a hard time reconciling the fact that we don't know each other, with the fact I've only been with men, but also coming to terms with the fact that she makes me feel things that are just... I just don't even have words for. In the middle of trying to make sense of all that, I have to tell her about Katie, but I don't want pity and I also don't know what she thinks about kids. And it's too soon to even worry about any of it, because she only asked about dinner. You and I have had dinner several times. That means nothing so maybe she is just being nice."

"Wow," Addie says laughing. "You need to take a breath. It sounds like you had a nice time last night even if it wasn't planned. Maybe instead of analyzing everything, you just need to go with it. You don't have to have everything all figured out. And, I know Arizona well enough to know she probably realizes you don't have it all figured out. So, give her some credit... with all of it. You need to tell her about Katie. She is a doctor and a great person. She deals with parents and sick kids all the time. She knows you don't want pity. And she loves kids. This all comes back to you not knowing each other. So... start getting to know her by letting her fix you dinner. Maybe go find her and ask for a raincheck?"

"Thank you, Addie. I guess I do need to take a breath. And, maybe go find her."

"Anytime. Her car is still here, so she should still be in her office. Go talk to her. You only have a few minutes before you need to leave," Addie says, patting her on her shoulder.

"Thanks Addie."

XXXXXXX

Walking into Arizona's office, Teddy is standing from the desk with her purse in her hand. "Oh, hey Callie. I'm really surprised to see you."

"Yeah, I um, need to talk to Arizona. Is she free to talk?"

"Yeah. She is in her office. Just go on in, she is just wrapping up before heading home. Can you tell her Mandy already left and I'm leaving?"

"Sure," Callie nods. "I'll tell her."

Teddy excuses herself and Callie makes her way to Arizona's door. It's partially opened and Callie can see her looking over a file. She gently knocks on the door.

"Hey," Arizona weakly smiles.

"Hey. You have a second?"

"Um, yeah. Sure," Arizona says, sitting her folder down and standing. She walks around her desk to where she has two seats, motioning for Callie to take one.

"Oh, I can't stay. I just... I didn't get to finish what I was saying earlier. I can't have dinner tonight because I'm going to Rochester. I will be there all weekend. But, I would really like it if maybe I could take a rain-check on that dinner. Maybe one night next week?"

"Look, it's ok, Callie. Don't worry about it. It sounds like you have a date and the last thing you want is to worry about a stupid dinner when you get back. With me, no less."

"Arizona, I don't have a date. I am going to see my family. And if you would consider giving me that rain-check, I will explain everything to you then. Because, as nervous as I am about it, I would really love to have dinner with you."

"Oh. I just thought... I mean, you went away with Mark a few times, and I know you said he wasn't your boyfriend, but that didn't mean it still wasn't a date. I just kind of thought maybe you were spending the evening with him or someone else."

"No... I promise, it's family that I'm spending the weekend with. And I know I may seem unsure about dinner, but, I'm not. I really want to have dinner with you. So, rain-check? Then we can talk over dinner? And like I said, I will explain everything then. I just really need to get going right now."

Shaking her head yes, Arizona says, "Of course. How about Monday night?"

"Yeah. That sounds good."

Smiling, Arizona reaches over to grab a pen and post-it from her desk. "Can I maybe have your number?"

"Maybe..." Callie says smiling, waiting a second before finally taking the pen and paper from Arizona.

"I see you can be a tease," Arizona says, smiling back.

"Never. Unless you like that sort of thing," Callie says raising her eyebrows.

"I have a feeling I would like anything you would do."

Callie's eyes get really big and Arizona realizes how that sounded. "Oh… no. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, that whether you are teasing or playing or talking…"

"It's ok. I know… but, just for the record, I'm sure there would be a learning curve on a few things, so you might not like some things real well at first, " Callie smirks, causing Arizona's mouth to drop. Laughing, Callie says, "I need to go before we get carried away." That statement causes Arizona to smile. She loves how even though Callie is nervous, she is still sure of herself and still flirty. She finds that to be a very attractive quality.

"Well, you be careful and I'll see you Monday," Arizona says, leaning forward to give Callie a lingering kiss on the cheek. "And... just so you know… the next time I do that… it _won't_ be on your cheek," Arizona whispers, lingering just a second by Callie's ear, before quickly walking back to the other side of her desk.

"Um, that's... ok. I um, I really have to go," Callie says, looking at her watch. "But, I will, uh, I will see you, um, Monday."

"OK. And just for the record... You totally have a way with words sometimes too."

"Uh, yeah. I'm noticing that," Callie chuckles. "Bye Arizona."

"Bye. Be careful and I'll see you Monday."

With that, Callie gives a small wave and makes her way outside and into her car. As she sits down in her car, the biggest smile crosses her face. "I think I have a date with Arizona Robbins." Her phone beeps with an incoming text.

"Can't wait for Monday."

Smiling, Callie puts her phone down and starts her car. She picks the phone back up and sends a quick text, before sitting it back down and pulling out, looking forward to seeing her little girl.

Inside her office, Arizona's phone beeps as well. Looking down, she sees, "Me either." She smiles, placing her phone back down and picking up her file she was looking at. She knows she is close to finding something and since she has the evening free, she plans on spending her night here in the office.

AN: Thank you for all of the reviews... they are always appreciated. I'm really enjoying writing this story right now. Things are settling down and updates should become more frequent. I wanted to take a minute to comment on the upcoming medical talk in future chapters. I am not in the medical field and have no medical knowledge other than what I find on google. So...having said that, please don't expect to see totally accurate information. Everything will be used to fit the purpose of the story.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Callie has been sitting with her daughter all morning. She has been looking back over the last tests that were ran earlier this week. Dr. Tanner was in earlier and informed her that his wife and colleagues were going back through things, looking for anything that may have been missed or simply overlooked. Callie decides that is a smart idea and she decides she will do the same.

She continues to read page after page and starts to get frustrated. She sits the file down and pulls her chair closer to her daughter.

"Hey, sweetheart, it's me, mommy. It's been a busy week. I opened up my new office on Thursday. It was amazing. I wish you could have been there to help me cut the ribbon. I had some friends that were there, but it wasn't the same without you. This is all for you, you know. I want you to see that we can do anything we put our minds to."

Callie pulls her hand up and kisses it, holding it next to her face. "I love you so much. Every day is hard but knowing that I get to see you at the end of the week is what keeps me motivated."

Katie's little hand is shaped different than Callie's. Her fingers aren't as long, but rather short and almost a little pudgy. They are the cutest fingers Callie has ever seen. She plays with each finger, one by one, exercising them. When she is here, she likes to do exercises with her, rather than having someone from physical therapy come in.

She works on her fingers, then her hands and arms. After upper body exercises, she moves to the legs and feet, even the toes. Stretching and moving each part, in hopes that one day, she will have the ability to move them on her own once again.

"You know, I had some friends at the grand opening with me. You remember me talking about Addie and Christina? They were there, along with Meredith. She takes pictures of bones. You would like her, a lot. She actually has a little girl about your age. I've never met her, but I would say if she is anything like her mommy, you guys would be good friends."

Moving down to her toes, continues to talk. "Teddy and Mandy were also there and some other business owners nearby. It was nice they all came to support the new guy. Or woman, in this case. And, Arizona was there. She and I have talked some this week. I don't think she dislikes me as much anymore. As a matter of fact, she is going to fix dinner for us Monday night. I'm not sure how that's going to go, but I am looking forward to it. Now that we aren't arguing all the time, it will be interesting to see how we get along."

Callie finishes with the leg exercises and sits back down next to Katie. She imagines if Katie were awake, they would talk about animals and cartoons, maybe sing songs together and talk about what all they wanted to do the next day. Unfortunately, they can't do that, so Callie just talks to fill the silence.

"You know, I think I might really like Arizona. And it's kind of scary, because I haven't like anyone since I liked your dad. And that didn't end well. And this... this is different. I've never liked... someone like _her_. I know you don't understand what I mean by that, and that's ok. But, if I want to set a good example, I need to not be afraid of new possibilities. And, the more I think about it, I'm more nervous than afraid. Which is a good thing. Because that means it's important."

Callie relaxes a little in her chair and grabs a blanket, covering her legs up. She chose to wear capri leggings and a sweatshirt, as it sometimes gets a little chilly in the room. "Sometimes, when I make her mad, she gets a little twitch in the corner of her eye. It's kind of funny and makes me want to make her mad on purpose," Callie chuckles saying that last part. "I noticed that right after I met her. And I'm also figuring out what to say to catch her off guard. She seems surprised and her eyes get really big. From where they are so blue, you can get lost in them. Sometimes, she lets her soft side show. I've seen it a few times this week. It's a side I would really like to see more of. She is sweet and has a sincerity in her voice that is kind of amazing. Sometimes she stumbles over her words. I think it's because she gets nervous. She actually makes me do the same thing and I have to tell you, it's aggravating. When she starts actually forming sentences though, let me tell you, she can make you feel like you are something pretty special. I know I'm not the first person she has talked to. Sometimes I think there are more than I would want to know about. But, if I'm going to give this a try, I need to get over it."

Callie lays her head back, and closes her eyes, while she continues to talk. "She is just something else. I mean, we haven't talked much, but each time, it leaves me wanting more. Whether we are arguing or actually talking, I just want to do more of it. We danced the other night. I have to say, I can't wait to dance with her again. She was so different to dance with than anyone I have ever danced with before. I guess I never thought about what it would feel like to dance with someone like her, but now that I have done it, I almost can't imagine dancing with anyone else. When she looks at me and smiles, it's breathtaking. I'm going to tell her about you in a few days. It's not that I haven't wanted to, but, I just don't want her to feel sorry for us. Most people do, and I just don't want that. But then again, we really weren't in a place to have that discussion. So, that goes back to her and I not really talking much before now."

Callie opens her eyes one more time, looking at her daughter, before she closes them. "I think I really like her. And I know that I love you." With that, Callie drifts off for a well-deserved nap, after the busy week she has had.

XXXXXXX

Arizona has just woken up. She didn't get home until around three in the morning. She was researching and looking at Katherine's results and going back over Katherine's health records from right before the accident.

The only thing new she picked up on was a case of bronchitis about two months before the accident. Arizona brought the files home with her and plans to spend some more time later looking over them, but right now, she needs to get a shower and go meet her mom for lunch.

Arriving at the restaurant, she notices her mom is already there. She heads to the table and leans in to give her mom a hug before having a seat opposite of her.

"Arizona dear, you look tired today. You must have been out all night last night."

"Actually, I was," Arizona says, yawning.

"Oh. What was her name this time?" Her mom asks, smirking, knowing her daughter very well.

"As a matter of fact, her name was Katherine. But...it's not what you think."

"What, you couldn't seal the deal?"

"Mom! I can't believe you just said that!"

"Oh, come on. You should know me better than that. I say it how it is," Barbara smiles, giving her daughter a look. "I think you and your brother started rubbing off on me during your teen years. And I have to say, the lesbian thing gave me a little learning curve at first, but I even mastered that."

Arizona can't help but laugh at her mom. They have always been close, but after her brother died several years ago, they have become even closer.

"So, how is Katherine not what I think it is?"

"First off, she isn't a woman, she's four. And on top of that, she is a very sick little girl. She has been in a coma for just over 2 years."

"Oh my. I can't imagine if that would have been one of our kids. What happened?"

"She fell and hit her head. She has no traumatic brain injury that we can find but she has been out since."

"So, you are trying to figure out why she is still in a coma?"

"Yeah. Mayo called and asked if I would consult on this. It came at a good time because I had already thought about going back into surgery. This might give me the push I need."

"Well, that's good to hear. It would be nice to see you use all your education and not just part of it. You are one talented lady and I hate to see you waste it."

"I'm not wasting anything, mom. I chose two specialties. I just happened to be focused on only one at right at the moment. Like I said though, I've been thinking about getting back to it. I can expand my current practice."

"Sounds like a wonderful idea. So, anything else going on?"

"Um, no. Just staying busy with work."

"Who is she?"

"Who is who?" Arizona tries to act like she had lo idea what her mom is talking about.

"You never just stay busy with work. You are always some work, a lot of play. So... who has you to where you are focusing on work so much."

"I don't know what you are talking about. I have a big case from Mayo and it's a time-consuming case."

"Yeah. But... you are seeing someone, aren't you?"

"No."

"Arizona, you are a bad liar."

Sighing, she realizes she really does stink at lying. Her mom and Teddy really have her number. "I'm not seeing anyone. However, I am interested in someone."

"Oh...tell me more," Barbara says, scooting closer.

"She is an orthopedic surgeon who just opened an office across the road..." Arizona continues to fill her mom in on a lot of what has happened and informs her she is fixing dinner for them on Monday.

"You know Arizona, I think you really like this woman."

Arizona looks at her mom and can't help but smile. "I think I do. Which is funny, because like I told her, we have barely had any civil conversations. We would insult each other, but didn't actually talk. There is something there though. I'm just… drawn to her."

"Arizona… haven't you heard people say that when school kids like each other, the boy will pull the girl's hair or the girl will make fun of him? That's what it sounds like is going on with you two. She must have liked what she saw the first time you met and just didn't realize it."

"Maybe. I just know that I can't wait to get to know her. I want to know everything about her. I mean, she is intelligent and so beautiful and I can't wait to get the chance to kiss her. But I'm content to just do that Usually I can't wait to get in their pants but," As soon as it left her mouth, her hands flew up to cover it.

"Well, I always figured that was how you operated, young lady, but you just confirmed it."

"Mom…" Arizona sighs, covering her face.

Barbara starts laughing, not giving her daughter a chance to talk her way out of this one. "You look sweet and innocent, but darling. I've got your number."

"Mom… can we forget I said that? Please?"

"Not a chance," she says, laughing. "So, what was your first impression of this woman? Sweet, flirty, snooty?"

"A little snooty and... kinda mean," Arizona says, laughing. "But… I don't think that fits her at all now."

"Well," Barbara says, "Things aren't always what they seem."

Arizona tilts her head and looks at her mom. "What did you say?"

"That things aren't always what they seem?"

"That's what she just said the other night. That's actually had me looking at the consult case a little different that past few days. And then... you say the same thing. I feel like I'm being led in a new direction on this case, but... I just can't seem to put my finger on it."

"So, care to elaborate on the case?"

"Um... sure," Arizona says, then goes on to explain some basics of the case and how she feels that maybe that fall itself isn't where things went wrong.

"I'm confident that you will figure this out. Because you are a determined woman. According to your thinking, it's kind of like the which came first scenario... the chicken or the egg."

"Yeah, but if the fall was the chicken, I have to figure out what the egg even is."

"You will figure it out. I have faith in you."

"Thanks mom. I just, wish it was more obvious."

"Sometimes the obvious is too obvious, and we overlook it, because, well... it's too obvious and we don't think that could possibly be the cause. It's kind of like, when I got pregnant with you. I had all the signs of being pregnant and didn't think that could possibly be it because I was on the pill. But, the pill is only 99 percent effective."

Arizona sits and thinks about that for a minute, before she says, "So, I was an accident?"

Laughing, Barbara says, "No, Arizona. You were what we didn't know we wanted yet."

"Nice save," Arizona comments, rolling her eyes.

After lunch, Arizona heads home and pulls out the file once again, going back through everything. "Ok, where's the egg. It has to be here...," Arizona mumbles as she pulls out a file she had late last night.

"I know you are here somewhere. This is like an Easter egg hunt without the fun," she rambles to herself as she pours back over the information. She once again sees information on an ER visit about two months before the accident, where Katherine was diagnosed with bronchitis. She stops and pulls open her laptop and begins looking something up.

"Oh my lands!" Arizona yells, quickly standing. "I think that's the egg!"

Scrambling to get her phone, she dials a number and begins stacking everything up and putting it into her satchel. "Dr. Tanner? You won't believe this, but I think I have a theory on Katherine O'Malley. Can you send me the information on where she is right now? I know it's Saturday, but can you meet me there?"


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Often times on the weekends, when Callie is here with her daughter, she gets a hotel room. This weekend however, she feels a need to be here with Katie.

She spent the evening going back and forth between Katie's records and just watching her little girl sleep. Finally, with heavy eyes, she decides it's time to call it a night. She heads over to the couch and pulls it out, putting the fitted sheet on first, then laying the other sheet on top, she decides to forgo a heavy blanket. It's been warm in the room all evening and the sheet will be more than enough.

Walking over to Katie, she leans down and gives the little brunette a kiss on the forehead and then makes her way back over to the couch. Grabbing her trashy romance novel that she picked up a few weeks ago, she lays down and tries to make herself comfortable.

As she lies there, she opens the book to where her bookmark has been holding her spot, and begins to read. Reading at night always seems to lull her to sleep. At this point in the book, things are getting a little steamy between the characters. She reads a scene and pauses, holding the book down. Her mind drifts to the face of a blonde-haired woman with the bluest eyes. She remembers the feel of the woman up against her, the feel of Arizona's hand trailing along her jawline. She remembers how it felt to have Arizona's lips against her cheek, if only for a few seconds. She felt more in that moment than she has ever felt before.

Thinking ahead to Monday, she can't help but ponder how the night might possibly play out. How should she dress? Should she wear a dress or something more casual? She wonders if women talk about things like that beforehand…. Maybe she should ask Arizona what to wear. Will they eat dinner at the table or take it to the living room and eat while lounging on the couch? She knows she has to tell her about Katie, so she wonders what Arizona's reaction will be. Arizona told her the next time she kisses her, it would not be on the cheek. Is she really ready for that? She begins to think of how the moment might occur and she finds herself smiling. She imagines it would be sweet and gentle and suddenly, Callie realizes she is looking forward to that possible moment. She wonders briefly what it might feel like… If Arizona's lips are much different from a man's lips.

Suddenly, she hears talking down the hall which breaks her out of her pleasant thoughts. She smiles and picks her book back up, continuing to read. Eventually she can't keep her eyes open, so she rolls over and pulls the sheet up, ready for some much-needed sleep.

XXXXXXX

Dr. Tanner is talking to her husband, the other Dr. Tanner, when Arizona rounds the corner. "Dr. Robbins, it's good to finally see you again," lady Dr. Tanner says, sticking out her hand.

"Dr. Tanner, it's good to see you too," Arizona says, reaching for her hand.

"Please... call me Beth. We should all stick to first names so it won't get too confusing with both of us here," she says, pointing to her husband. "Arizona, this is Jeff Tanner, my husband. He has been the one overseeing Katherine's care since she was transferred here."

"Jeff, it's nice to meet you."

"Same here, especially if you have some thoughts on what's going on."

"I do. Do you have somewhere we can talk?"

"Absolutely, follow me," Jeff says as he begins to walk down the hall. They come to a meeting room and he enters, turning the lights on. "Here we go. Can I get you anything to drink? Or a snack?" Jeff points to the small kitchenette off to the side.

"Oh, no thanks. I had something on my way."

Jeff nods and then has a seat by his wife. "So, I'm more than interested in hearing what your latest thoughts are," Jeff says, folding his hands together and putting them on top of the table. "Because we are at a standstill and I hate to see the family continue on in this state. It's hard on them."

"Yeah, I would agree. I can only imagine how difficult it must be. So..." Arizona drawls as she pulls out a file from her satchel. "I do have a theory. And I could be way off, but I have a feeling I'm not. Have you looked back over Katherine's file before she suffered from the fall?"

"Yes, of course. We didn't see anything of any importance though. Nothing that set off red flags" Jeff says.

"Well, that's what I thought at first too. But then I started thinking. Everything done up until now is thought to have happened because of the fall. I know there were a lot of tests initially done to rule out a lot of scenarios, as well as many tests since then. But... I think we have been looking for the wrong things."

"I'm listening...," Jeff says, leaning forward."

"She had bronchitis. Two months before her accident. By all accounts, bronchitis is an everyday common occurrence, especially for a child in a public daycare. It is diagnosed daily in children and usually with treatment, clears up within a few weeks. In her case, no problems were reported after treatment and at the time of the accident, was thought to have been cleared up. And, naturally, nothing else was thought about it."

"Ok. But I don't see what the connection is. If it was cleared up, what does that have to do with her falling? Seems like two totally separate issues."

"Sometimes, bronchitis can be a sign of something more serious. Maybe even a misdiagnosis. Are you familiar with juvenile myasthenia gravis?"

"Yes. It's very rare."

"You are correct. Almost all cases of MG don't occur until over the age of forty. Considering that, juvenile MG is even more rare. With MG, the nerves and the muscles can't talk. There is a breakdown in the connection between the two. The signal is sent but not received by the muscles allowing them to move. You see, what I believe happened, is that the bronchitis was actually MG starting to make itself known. Many patients are diagnosed with multiple cases of bronchitis in the beginning stages because the MG is actually starting to affect the diaphragm. It is diagnosed as bronchitis at first if there are no other indicators that something else could be causing the issue. In Katherine's case, she exhibited no other symptoms. I believe that when she fell, the MG could have possibly affected muscle movement, causing the fall. When a patient has a flare up, they can lose all muscle control. They can't move, can't talk, can't swallow... and unfortunately, can't breathe. The nerves and muscles can't talk, prohibiting the diaphragm from working which is why she is still on a ventilator. It also explains when nerve tests are done, why she doesn't respond... It's because she can't!"

Arizona is on a roll now, and doesn't stop to let the other doctors get a word in. "It's not that there isn't brain activity occurring, it's because there are no signals from any presented stimulation reaching the brain. This is why I think we need to test for it. Of all the tests that were ran, there were none that specifically would have tested for this. I would like to perform an edrophonium test. If you aren't familiar with it, we would inject a chemical into some muscle, which could possibly let the nerves and muscles communicate. It is possible we might get some sort of muscle reaction if this works. It would be temporary and the reaction would be very slight, given her current state, but it is a start."

"Dr. Robbins, I don't know what to say," Jeff says, looking back and forth between Arizona and Beth.

Arizona looks at Jeff, then at Beth, and she is confused. She thought they would be as excited as she is. "Dr. Tanners, I know it is rare, and usually, it only comes in spurts. It waxes and wanes and the patients are typically not in this state. Oh! Also, her heart rate is increased some. This was thought to be somehow related to the brain trauma. Because, I do believe when she fell, she did in fact suffer from some trauma to her brain. However, I think the increased heart rate may possibly be due to the fact that she can hear you, but can't communicate… causing stress on her body and her heart rate to be slightly elevated. Because of this elevated heart rate, she has been on a beta blocker. I would like to see the beta blocker stopped immediately. Beta blockers may worsen the MG. So it is possible to have been making her worse unintentionally. Doing that may also help with the test I want to run. I think it might not be out of the realm of possibilities to take several days of tests to get the desired outcome. Having said that, we found find positive results with the first one we run. I just... I don't know for sure... But I believe we need to do this. She deserves this. Her family deserves this. Now that we suspect this, we can also run some bloodwork to test for the specific antibodies that are associated with this as well. Please, Dr. Tanner. We need to do this. If this is what it is, we can help her."

"Arizona, I didn't know what to say because I think you may have possibly just saved this little girl. I wasn't going to disagree. I was just... honestly speechless."

"Oh."

Smiling, Jeff stands up and looks at his wife. "You were right about her. She is something else."

"I'm always right honey," Beth smiles. "Arizona, if you are right, we can start her on IV meds and blood-filtering therapy to filter out the antibodies helping to block the signal from the muscles and the nerves. We might be able to wake this little girl up," Beth says, finally realizing the weight of this discovery. "And, actually..."

"...she may not even be in a coma," Arizona finishes.

"Exactly…" Beth concurs.

"Because although some of the tests haven't been favorable for brain activity, there is a chance of false readings. If it is in fact, juvenile MG, she may be unable to open her eyes, meaning she has possibly been able to hear everything going on."

"Let's hurry and get her moved to the main clinic. We only have limited facilities here and we can do everything we need to there," Beth says.

Jeff nods. "Her mom is here tonight, I looked in before I met you two and she was still in the room with her. Let's go have a chat and let her know what we are thinking and what we are going to do. She is a doctor as well so she should follow along easily. If is in fact juvenile MG, it will probably go down as one of the most, if not _the_ most severe case we have seen."

The women nod and stand to follow Jeff to Katherine's room. On the way to the room, Jeff and Beth decide to stop and make a few arrangements. Jeff will go ahead and arrange transport and Beth will call Mayo and have a room ready. Jeff said that as soon as the mom found out, she would want her moved immediately, so they may as well get the ball rolling. While waiting on them, Arizona looks over at the chart Jeff has, and sees what room Katherine is in. She decides to go ahead and make her way there, motioning to Beth to let her know that is where she is going.

Approaching Katherine's room, Arizona peaks in to see the little girl. She heads right to the little girl's bed, taking note of her appearance. She has a beautiful head of dark brown hair. She is wearing purple and gray butterfly pajamas, which makes her smile. She used to love butterflies when she was a little girl. Her hands are folded neatly on top of her stomach, as if placed there perfectly.

Looking around, she sees someone asleep on the couch, facing the other direction, with the sheet pulled up around her. Trying not to wake her until the two Dr. Tanners get here, she sees the seat next to the bed. She reaches down and quietly pulls the chair a little closer to the bed.

Whispering, she leans close to the little girl. "Hey there, Katherine. My name is Arizona. I know you have been sick for a while and I am so sorry about that. I know it's not fair. We are going to take you somewhere else and we are going to run a few tests. If things go the way I hope they do, we might be able to help you communicate with us and help you feel better. I'm sure your mommy over there will be so excited to hear your little voice again. I promise, we are going to do everything we can to help you. You are probably very scared, but I can tell you, you are such a brave little girl."

Arizona sits with the little girl for a few more minutes until she hears some noise behind her. She stands and quietly puts the chair back into place as the two doctors join her.

"She is a beautiful little girl," Arizona says, whispering.

"She is. She looks just like her mom," Jeff says, receiving a look from his wife which makes Arizona chuckle.

"Anyway" Jeff says, half smiling, "I hate to wake her, but we need to. Transport will be here in about thirty minutes." He walks over to where Callie is and reaches down and shakes her shoulder. She awakens on the first shake and Callie then sits up abruptly.

She sees Dr. Tanner and immediately goes on alert. She quickly jumps up out of bed, trying to get her bearings. "Dr. Tanner. What's wrong?" Callie asks, looking frantically over at her daughter.

"Callie?"

Looking over behind Jeff, Callie sees the woman belonging to the voice she just heard. The same woman who was just occupying her thoughts. "Arizona? What... what are you doing here? What's going on?"

AN: Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. Glad you are enjoying it. Once again, all medical stuff comes from Google. I am not a doctor. If something doesn't seem plausible in real life, there is a reason for that.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

There are moments in our lives that will forever be ingrained into our mind. This is one of those moments. Callie and Arizona are both about to find out something that will forever change everything for them. They will both remember this moment, forever.

"You two know each other?" Jeff asks, standing back so that Arizona can step forward, which she does.

"Um, yeah..." Arizona says, stepping up in front of Jeff, realization washing over her that Callie is Katherine's mom. "We um, we have offices right across the road from each other."

More important than wondering why Arizona is here, Callie needs to know why the three of them are here... together… waking her up. "Wait… What's going on? Is something wrong with Katie?"

"There's no change. But, we have something we would like to talk to you about. If you don't care, maybe we can go out in the hall?" Jeff asks. He doesn't want to talk about everything in front of Katie, since they have a suspicion she may be able to hear them.

Callie seems relieved at this news and Arizona can see her visibly relax.

As they make their way to the hall and come to a stop, Arizona turns around to face Callie, giving her a small smile. "Katherine is your daughter?"

"Yeah. I was going to tell you..." Callie says, not really sure how Arizona feels about this new information.

"We haven't exactly carried on many conversations. It's ok," Arizona says with a somewhat sad smile.

"I'm sorry."

"No, please… don't be," Arizona says, shaking her head. "Look, we can talk about everything later, but right now I know you are probably wondering why I'm here," Arizona says as Callie nods. "I have been consulting on Katherine's case. Callie… I don't want you to get your hopes up, but I have some news. I need you to stay calm because I think Dr. Torres is going to be overtaken by Callie, the mom. So, I need you to stay with me... ok?" Arizona looks over to Beth and Jeff, and they nod for her to continue, sensing there is something more than just the two of them being business neighbors.

"Ok." Callie says, curiously.

Jeff looks at Arizona and motions for her to continue. He can sense that maybe this needs to come from Arizona.

"We would like to move Katherine,"

"Katie... you can call her Katie." Callie says.

Nodding, Arizona continues, "Ok. We would like to move Katie to Mayo's main clinic. I, well…we... would like to run some tests. We would like to test for juvenile myasthenia gravis."

"What?"

"Juvenile myasthenia gravis is where..."

"Yeah, I know what it is. But why would you want to test for it?"

"I think there is a possibility that the bronchitis she was diagnosed with, two months before the accident, was actually MG starting to present itself. I think when she was in daycare, that it is possible that she had a major flare-up... that is possibly still ongoing. If that is the case..."

"Oh my god..." Callie says, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth.

"Callie, it's a possibility... we don't know for sure. I also want to stop her beta blocker. I think maybe, if this is what she has, that it is making things worse and that..."

Callie cuts her off, "Arizona... oh my god. She might not be in a coma!" Callie is piecing things together very quickly. Shaking her head, Callie breaks down in tears and Arizona's first instinct is to step up and pull her into her arms, letting Callie cry. Arizona knew this would be emotional, but knowing it is Callie... makes this hard."

"How could I miss this? Two years... For two years my little girl might have been awake? I am a doctor! How could I not even think about this?"

Callie continues to cry, while Arizona just holds her. "Callie, nobody thought it was a possibility. She had no other symptoms. You had no reason to consider it and..."

"But you…you figured it out, didn't you?" Callie asks, pulling back quickly, with tears still streaming down her face.

"What you said the other night, about how things aren't always what they seam…" Arizona says and pauses as Callie recalls the conversation. "It made me look at this totally different. But.. we still don't know for sure. Jeff arranged for transport to be here in just a few minutes, and Beth has already made arrangements for a room and put in the orders for the tests. So, we will take her to Mayo," Arizona says, reaching for Callie's hands. "We will run the tests. And then... we'll know."

Callie starts crying again, so once more, Arizona pulls Callie close. They stand there for a few moments before Callie finally starts to calm down, and pulls back, wiping the tears with her sleeve.

"Arizona, I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry. I didn't mean to cry all over you," Callie says, taking a step away. Arizona only responds by taking a step forward and putting her hands on Callie's arms.

"It's ok. It's pretty big news. I would expect you to feel overwhelmed right now. Look, we need you to get ready so that when transport is here, we are ready to go. Just leave your car here and I can drive you, ok?"

"No, I want to ride with Katie," Callie says, shaking her head.

"Callie, it's better to ride with Arizona. The transport squads are a little smaller than the traditional squads. There isn't a lot of room," Jeff says.

"Oh..."

"It's ok," Arizona assures her. "I promise, we will follow right behind them, alright?" Arizona says, waiting for Callie to answer, to which Callie only nods. "Why don't you go get ready, then we will get you and Katie out of here and see if we can find some answers."

Callie only nods, before walking back into Katie's room to get her things packed up. Watching her walk away, Arizona takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly.

Beth says something to Jeff, and as he nods, he walks off and Beth walks over to Arizona and pulls her away from the door. "Are you ok?"

"Um, yeah. I just wasn't expecting to know the mom."

"How well do you know her? I sense it's more than being business neighbors."

Chuckling, Arizona nods. "You know me too well. We um, we honestly just met about a month ago. She was nothing but a pain in my ass at first. But...we are trying to be friends."

"Just friends?"

"Um..." Arizona says, looking at her hands.

"Arizona, if you can't do this, just say the word. We can take it from here. Because I was watching your body language and it is saying you are a hell of a lot more than just friends."

"We just met..."

"That doesn't always mean anything, and you know it," Beth says. During Arizona's time at Mayo, Beth was a great mentor but was also one of Arizona's best friends at the time.

"If I get to a place that my feelings interfere, I'll step back."

"Ok... I trust you to make the right call."

Nodding, Arizona says, "I promise. You will be the first to know."

At the end of the hall, they see transport round the corner and make their way towards them, followed by Jeff. Arizona looks at Beth and then heads back towards Katie's room. She isn't surprised to see Callie standing next to Katie, leaning down and whispering to her.

"Mommy loves you so much. We are going to take you to a new room. The doctors are going to do everything they can to see if they can make you feel better, ok? You are going to go for a ride and I'll see you in just a little bit. I love you... so much," She says, as she leans down and gives her a kiss on the forehead.

Watching the two brunettes that close, Arizona can't believe she missed the similarities earlier. They look so much alike. Arizona watches for a few seconds before she makes her way over behind Callie, not able to resist being close to her. Walking up behind her, she reaches forward and grabs her hand, putting the other hand on her opposite arm. "Transport is here. They need to get her moved over to their gurney."

Nodding, Arizona squeezes Callie's hand and leans down to give Katie a kiss. "I'll see you in just a little bit. I love you."

Jeff leads transport in and Arizona pulls Callie back out of the way, but they stay in the room while they move her over to the gurney. Callie reaches for her bag but when Arizona sees her reaching for it, she grabs it first. "I've got it. You ready?"

Callie nods and Arizona holds her hand out for Callie to take. Callie looks down at the hand and Arizona begins to wonder if she is going to take it. Just as she starts to pull it back, Callie reaches for it.

The two women follow the transport team down the hallway. Once they reach the squad, they watch them load her in. Jeff and Beth say their goodbyes and confirm they will meet them at Mayo. Arizona leads Callie toward her car and puts her bag in the back, then opens the door for Callie to get in. Once Callie is inside, Arizona makes her way to the driver's door and gets in.

The first few minutes are very quiet. Both of them lost in their thoughts as Arizona can see from the corner of her eye, Callie wiping tears that are falling. "Callie, I'm right here with you…" Arizona assures her, reaching over to put her hand on Callie's thigh, offering support.

"I sat with her… for months. Day in and day out. I felt worthless… I, I couldn't help her. We had doctor after doctor come in and one after the other, we received the same answer…which was that they had no answers. And then…within just a few weeks, you have come up with something that could actually help her."

"Callie… If it weren't for you… I wouldn't have went back and scoured over things again. You are what led me to this possibility."

"I know not to get my hopes up, but you are right, the mom in me is having a hard time doing that. I just… I can't help but think, if this is it, I might get my little girl back," Callie says as she continues to cry.

Not knowing what to do, Arizona takes her hand that is still resting on Callie's leg, and starts to squeeze Callie's leg a little tighter. "I know you feel overwhelmed right now, and that's ok. And it's normal to get your hopes up, especially after all this time. But you still have to be prepared for the possibility that we might be wrong."

"I know..."

"But I am right here with you," Arizona says, then stops to think about the father, wondering where he is. "Um... where is her father? Do you need to call him?"

With a bitter laugh, Callie shakes her head. "No. He signed over legal and physical custody during the divorce."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. He was asshole. We are both better off without him around."

Not knowing what to say, Arizona nods and keeps driving. Soon enough, they are pulling into Mayo and Arizona finds a place to park. They get out and Callie goes to get her bag out and Arizona tells her to leave it, that she will come back out and get it later when things are settled down a little bit.

Walking quickly, they head for the door and Arizona once again reaches for Callie's hand. Callie isn't used to this, not even when she was married, did George hold her hand. As they make their way into the elevator, they are the only ones on there.

Arizona waits for the door to close. "Callie, I know this is going to be an emotional couple of days. I am here for you, no matter what you need. And I know we have a lot to talk about, but we will put all that on hold. Your daughter is more important than anything else right now. Ok?"

"Thank you... Just, thank you. For everything," Callie says, once again tears welling up and beginning to fall down her face. Arizona reaches up to wipe them with her free hand.

"Don't thank me. Just know, she comes first. And I will do everything in my power to help her."

Callie gives Arizona a small smile through the tears that are falling. This blonde woman has given her hope. Hope that she will see her daughter's beautiful brown eyes very soon.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Callie and Arizona arrive on the tenth floor just as transport is pushing Katie into her room to get her settled. When they arrive on the floor, Beth and Jeff somehow have arrived before them. Beth looks over just in time for Callie to let go of Arizona's hand and pull out her phone.

"I am going to call my parents really quick while they get her settled. I know they won't let us in for a little while so they can get her vitals and stuff. And... I need to run to the restroom. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Ok. I'll be right here," Arizona says.

Watching Callie walk down the hall towards the restroom sign, Beth makes her way over with Katie's chart.

"You realize you can't take your eyes off her, don't you?"

Looking over at Beth, Arizona rolls her eyes. "I know. I'm not even going to try to deny it and I can't do a damn thing about it. Do you know how infuriating that is for me? To just... be helpless. That's not me. But... she does this to me. Just being around her, there's like this invisible force just drawing me to her. And it doesn't do me any good to fight it."

Smirking, Beth starts laughing. "I think Arizona Robbins, MD, peds surgeon, has fallen in love and doesn't even know it yet."

"Beth, I told you... We just met. And we didn't like each other until the other day. And even then, it's way, waaayyy too soon. Way to soon," Arizona says, shaking her head trying to convince herself as much as Beth.

"Say what you want, but I'm calling it now. I want an invite to the wedding. I watched you date a lot of women while you were here, as well as... well... whatever you want to call your lady loving ways... But, Arizona, I have never seen you look at a woman like this."

"Beth, I can't even explain it. And to top it off, finding out about that little girl in there, just makes me have that much more respect for her. To do the things she is doing in spite of being in the position she is in..."

"Well, like I said earlier... if your feelings get in the way, you need to step back. Because this little girl needs you to be focused."

"I know. I actually think I'm more determined now than ever, if that's even possible."

Seeing Arizona's face light up, Beth knows she doesn't have to turn around to know who is coming up behind her.

"Hey, are they finished yet?" Callie asks, as she looks into the room.

"No. Not yet. Did you get ahold of your parents?"

"Um, no. I decided since it's so late, to call in the morning. I kind of forgot how late it is. I um, I texted Mark. He is going to try to come tomorrow."

"Oh, that's good. Support would be good right now." Arizona sees the nurse come out of the room and says, "I think they have her settled for the most part. Go on in and we will look over things and make sure we are good to go. Ok?"

"Ok..." Callie gives a small smile before she makes her way into Katie's room. Sitting by her bed, she reaches for her little hand. After a few minutes, she begins to talk to her.

"Katherine Juliana... I love you, so much. I feel like this is a turning point for you... and for us. I really hope that something good is about to happen. I need for something good to happen. We deserve this. We have had enough bad luck. We have been through so much and we deserve some happy in our lives right now." Right as she says that, Arizona clears her throat behind her.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we just wanted to go over a few things with you, if that's ok?"

"Oh, sure," Callie says, starting to stand up.

"No... Sit, please…" Arizona says, holding her hands out in a gesture for Callie to sit back down. "It's late, and we know you are exhausted."

"Very," Callie says, not even trying to hide it.

Jeff begins first. "Callie, I think that at this point, since she is back here, I am going to step away and let Beth take the lead. I will be here in the background, consulting if needed, and will stay up to date on her situation. If she comes back to us when she leaves here, I will obviously once again take over."

"That's reasonable," Callie offers.

"Callie, as you know from talking to Jeff, I am head of Peds here. Much like Arizona, I am a pediatrician turned peds surgeon." Callie turns to look at Arizona after hearing this new piece of information, and Arizona gives her a small, sheepish smile. "I like to think I trained her well while she was with us in her residency. She was one of the brightest we have ever had, which is why I asked her to consult on this with us. I am giving her full privileges here once again. She will have access to everything, including the OR room if need be. I am actually putting her as lead physician on the case for the time being, as long as you have no objections."

"Um, no. Not at all. I'm fine with that."

"Ok. Now... With both of you here... I feel a need to address the elephant in the room. If either of you feel, at any time, that your personal relationship... no matter what the nature of that relationship is... If you feel that is going to interfere with any decisions concerning Katie's care, you let me know and I will take over. I don't want either of you to be uncomfortable so please don't be afraid to say anything. We will handle it like adults and move on. We all want what is best for Katie

Looking at Callie, Arizona can see that her eyes are big, obviously not expecting someone to comment on their relationship status.

"Of course," Callie finally says, with a slight blush.

"Now, Arizona, I'll let you fill her in on the rest. I am going to go get a few hours of sleep and I'll see you bright and early in the morning and we will try to get some answers."

"Thank you Dr. Tanner."

"Anytime, Callie. Arizona... Text me if you need me."

"I will," Arizona says, waiting until she leaves to pull a chair up beside Callie.

"How are you doing?" Arizona asks, as she sits down.

"I'm ok. Just nervous, I guess." Truth be told, she was a jumbled bundle of nerves on the inside. She didn't feel like telling her that though.

"I understand. Well, here's what we are going to do... They are going to come in here in a few minutes and draw some blood and we are going to run some labs. One of the labs we are running to test for a certain antibody, about 85% of the MG patients test positive for. But, there is 15% that do not, so even if that is negative, that doesn't rule out diagnosis. After labs are drawn, I am sending her down for some imaging on her chest. As you know, sometimes with MG, there can be a tumor present in the thymus. She hasn't had a chest image done since the accident. Nothing was present at the time, so no more chest images were done. However, it could be that there is a tumor that has shown up since then, and if there is... it is likely non-malignant, but we want to make sure. Hopefully the scans are clean so it is just a precaution. Then, she will be brought back here for the rest of the night. The test I really want to do is scheduled for nine in the morning... the edrophonium test."

"I can't tell you how bad I really hope she responds."

"We will do the best we can."

They sit quietly for a few minutes, not saying much, until the technician comes in to draw blood for labs. Within seconds of the tech leaving, transport comes in to take Katie down for her imaging. After giving Katie a kiss, Callie watches as her daughter is rolled away.

"How about a cup of coffee? If I remember right, Beth keeps a nice stash of expensive coffee tucked away in a bread crumb container," Arizona chuckles. "She imports it so it is delicious. What do you say?"

"Um, yeah. I could use a cup."

"Follow me, then." Arizona says, smiling and leading them down the hall and to the staff lounge. Walking in, Arizona heads to the cabinet and sure enough, way in the back is the bread crumb container. She opens it to the most heavenly scent and begins working on the coffee while she tells Callie to have a seat.

Once the coffee is ready, she heads over and sits next to Callie. "Here," Arizona says, holding the cup out for Callie. "Be warned though, this coffee will ruin you for any other coffee. Nothing in your life will ever compare to this right here, ever again."

Callie looks at her for a second and she can't help but think that statement will apply to more than just the coffee. She is almost one hundred percent certain that statement also applies to the woman sitting in front of her.

"Callie..." Arizona says, after Callie seems to space out.

"Oh. Sorry," Callie says reaching for the cup. "It's been an emotional day."

"I understand," Arizona says quietly. "Callie… I just want to say... I'm sorry if Beth made you uncomfortable earlier. You know… with bringing up the 'elephant in the room'. I didn't go running to her and blurt anything out, I promise. But... I guess I'm easy to read and she kind of pieced things together… on my end anyway."

"Oh. It's um... it's fine," Callie says, as she takes her first sip of coffee. "Oh my goodness... You were right, this is delicious. I needed this..."

Smiling at the brunette, really glad that she likes the coffee, she seems unsure of Callie's reaction to her bringing up what Beth said.

"Are you sure you aren't mad? I don't know you well enough to read you... obviously. Because the last thing I want to do is make you feel like there is this pressure here between us. Because there isn't. I meant what I said earlier... our talk can wait. And, I don't want you to think that just because she saw me making googly eyes at you, that we have to do this right now. Because right now our focus is on your daughter and I'm not trying to rush things and make you feel like you need to worry about this."

"Arizona... it has been a stressful night, and the last thing I need...

"I'm so, so sorry. You're right. This is the last thing you need and I should have denied anything she thought she saw. I shouldn't have involved my feelings in this at all and..."

Callie shakes her head and reaches over to grab Arizona's hand. "Will you let me finish?"

Furrowing her eyebrows, Arizona nods.

"It _has_ been a stressful night. And the last thing I need on top of that, is for you to doubt whatever this is between us. You were right when you said this needed to wait, that Katie comes first. I have to focus on her right now. But... I won't deny this," she says, pointing to the two of them, "either. So... she can see you make 'googly' eyes at me... I'm ok with that. And honestly, she might see me make some too. And... I'm ok with that as well. I have nothing to hide, Ok?"

"Ok," Arizona says, as she looks down to see Callie's hand holding hers. Callie notices and starts to pull her hand away, before Arizona senses it and turns her hand over to grasp onto Callie's. Giving her a small smile, she says, "Your daughter... she's absolutely beautiful. She looks just like you."

"Thanks. I hope you get to meet her one day soon."

Arizona nods, and says, "Me too." After thinking for a minute, she adds, "You know, if we are right, she will still have a long road ahead of her. We will have to find the right treatment and then she will probably have to learn to do some things all over again."

"I know. It will be a long road for her. But even as a toddler, she took after me. She is a fighter. I have to believe she can overcome this."

Looking at her watch, Arizona never lets go of Arizona's hand as she says, "we should probably get back. I know you are probably ready to get some sleep."

"I don't know. I think I have too much running through my mind, you know?"

"I'm sure you do. But... you need to try. We have a busy day tomorrow. Let's go..." Arizona says as she stands and holds her hand out to help Callie up. She reaches out and grabs Callie's mug, then heads over to the sink. She finds the dish liquid and washes them out, dries them, and puts them up. When she turns around, Callie is standing there watching her. "What?" Arizona asks, curious.

"Most people would have just left the mugs there in the sink."

"Yeah. They would. But, I'm not like most people though."

"No. You definitely aren't."

"Is that a bad thing?" Arizona asks, heading towards the door.

"No," Callie smiles as she turns to follow Arizona. "Not at all."

The women make their way back to the room to find Katie still isn't back. "Well, I'm going to make sure she gets back and settled. Do you want to stay here with her or do you want me to find you a room? They have physician's rooms with lockable doors and all that. You might sleep better..."

"No, that's ok. Thanks though. I just want to stay here with her."

"Ok. Well, I'll be right back then..."

Arizona heads down the hall and grabs a pillow and blanket for Callie. It's been a few years since she has been here, but she still feels like she is at home. She turns to head back to the room, but stops. She opens the door back up and reaches in and grabs another pillow and blanket. She stops behind the nurse's desk and grabs two bottle of water and lets them know she will be staying in the room with Katie and Callie.

"Arizona, is that you? What are you doing here?"

Arizona turns around to find Julie Snyder, the head nurse for the floor, walking around the desk. This is definitely not who she wanted to see tonight, but should have expected it. "Julie... it's um, good to see you. Beth called for me to consult on a case, so I'm here for a little while."

"Really?" Julie says, walking a little closer to Arizona and giving her the look that Arizona knows all too well.

"I'm here for work Julie, that's all."

"Arizona, we know you aren't all work and no play though..." Julie says, stopping closer than Arizona would prefer.

"I'm going to say this once and I won't say it again. I am here for a consult, and that's it. There will be no 'play'. Now... if you will excuse me, I have a patient to get to."

"Sorry," Julie says, holding her hands up as Arizona walks past her.

Walking into the room, she sees they are just wheeling Katie back in and getting her hooked up to the monitors, so she steps back out until they leave. When Beth called to get a room, she managed to request the private VIP room. It's a little bigger than the other rooms and has a couch that is wide enough to sleep on. Most patient rooms only have a reclining chair, but this has sleeping accommodations for two family members.

When the staff exit the room, she walks back in and hands Callie the blanket and pillow. "Oh, thanks. You didn't have to do that."

"No problem," Arizona says, as Callie watches her walk over to the couch and sit down, pulling her shoes off.

"Arizona, what are you doing?"

"I'm... getting comfortable?"

"Yeah... I see that. But why?"

"I um, I don't want to leave you here alone tonight."

A little surprised at the other woman, she says, "Arizona, you have gone above and beyond all night. You really don't need to stay."

"I know that. But... I want to. If, if that's ok with you. I mean, I guess I should have asked first. I shouldn't have assumed you would be ok with it. I should have asked. I'm sorry."

Wiping a tear that is now falling, once again touched by the rambling blonde. Callie says, "Yeah... It's ok. It's nice to not be alone tonight."

With that, Arizona gives her a small smile and finishes taking her shoes off. She lays back on the couch and covers up, as Callie does the same in the recliner. Little do they know, this is the first of many nights they will spend together.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Arizona slowly opens her eyes, surprised to find Callie gone. She sits up and checks the clock, noticing it is just before seven. She sits up and gives herself time to adjust to the light coming in through the window.

Standing up, Arizona stretches then reaches for the blanket... folding it, and laying it neatly on her pillow. Sliding her shoes on, she heads over to check on Katie. Checking the monitors, she is happy to not see a change in her heart rate after stopping the beta blocker.

She glances over and notices a stack of children's books on a small table in the corner of the room. She walks over and picks up several, then chooses one she remembers well. She makes her way over to the recliner and pulls it a little closer to Katie and gets comfortable.

She opens the book and begins to read Green Eggs and Ham, quietly, to Katie. As she reads, she is unaware that Callie walked in almost at the beginning of the story and has been quietly listening.

Callie can't help but be in awe of this woman. Arizona is a seemingly brilliant doctor and surgeon, who is apparently quite humble about her professional abilities. She could be up in a physician's room, sleeping on a regular bed... and yet, here she is. She slept on what looks to be a quite uncomfortable couch and now she is reading to her daughter... the one Arizona didn't know belonged to her until yesterday.

Finishing the book, Arizona closes it and stands to put it back on the table in the corner. She turns around to see Callie standing there. Her make-up has worn off and her hair is somewhat messed up and yet, Arizona can't help but think she is just… beautiful.

"Hey," Callie says.

"Hey. Everything ok? I was surprised to see that you were gone when I woke up."

"Um, yeah. Everything is fine. I just had to run to the restroom. And Mark called, so I called him back. He said he is on his way."

"Oh, that's good. Good," Arizona says, giving Callie a small smile and nodding.

"I tried to ask if her labs were back but they said I needed to talk to you."

"Yeah… I will run out to the car and get our bags. We have just enough time for us to grab a shower before her test, if you want. I will have them pull up her labs while I am getting our stuff, that way they are ready for me to see when I get back from the car."

Stopping to replay her words, shaking her head, she adds, "I mean… we can take separate showers. We don't have to grab one together. Not at the same time."

" I knew what you meant. And, that would be great, Callie says chuckling. She had to admit, the rambling has become quite endearing.

"Ok. Well, I'll just..." Arizona says, pointing towards the door. Now she can't get the idea of Callie and her in the shower, together, out of her head.

Callie scoots over to block her though and leans in to give her a kiss on the cheek, totally catching Arizona off guard.

Callie lets her lips linger for just a moment, and Arizona takes the opportunity to close her eyes and savor the closeness. Callie pulls away, looking a little sheepish. "I... I just want to say I appreciate you staying last night, and for just.. apparently being you."

"You're welcome," Arizona says with a smile. "I'll be right back."

Callie nods and watches as Arizona walks out the door. She heads to sit down by Katie and starts talking to her. "So... I see that you met Arizona. She is the one I've been telling you about. I really think you will like her, because... well, I'm starting to really, really like her," Callie says, smiling to herself. "Miss Katherine Juliana, I am thinking this might be one of the biggest days of your life. So, I need you to be strong today. You are already the toughest little girl I know. You are my super hero… Do you know that? You are so very brave and no matter what happens today, you need to know that mommy loves you and I'm right here," Callie says, reaching down and kissing Katie's hand.

Arizona walks in and sits their bags down, thankful she thought to pack one yesterday before she left. She tells Callie she will be back and heads out to the nurse's station. She grabs a tablet to check for lab results from last night and heads back to Katie's room.

Callie seems to know what she is doing, and goes to look over her shoulder. "Anything yet?"

"Um... some have come back but others haven't. The ones I really need to see haven't. So... we will keep checking."

Nodding, Callie sighs. She was really hoping something would show up quickly.

"So... do you want to take a shower first or you want me to go?"

"Um, it doesn't matter."

"Then, how about I go ahead and take one. Give me about fifteen minutes and then come down to the lounge we were in last night. There are a couple showers in there. Then, while you are in there, I can come sit with her and look over some stuff before we take her for her test."

Callie agrees and Arizona grabs her bag and heads for the showers. She has to wait a few minutes for an empty shower, then grabs the first one that becomes available. This is a busy time of the day with shift changes and she wasn't thinking about that before she came down. She hurries with her shower and then gets dressed, knowing Callie will be there anytime, if she isn't already.

Walking out of the shower room, her hair is up in a towel and her face is still wet with water droplets still gracing the side of her face, and Callie is just walking in the door.

"Sorry... I had to wait for a shower to open," Arizona smiles as she sits her bag down and pulls out a small toiletry bag. "You can take the one I just came out of. The rest are still occupied."

"Yeah, no problem... I um, I won't be long."

"I'm going to throw some make up on and head back."

"Ok," Callie says, heading towards the small shower room. Stopping, she turns around and clears her throat before she shuts the door. "Just for the record, you don't really need the make-up. You look fine without it." With that, she gives a shy smile and closes the door.

Arizona can't help the slow smile that forms. Callie has obviously been through a lot the past couple of years. Overhearing a little bit of her conversation with Katie, it sounds like Callie is more than ready for things to turn around. Hopefully, she can help do that for them today if her theory is correct.

Once her hair is combed and makeup is on, she heads back to Katie's room to wait on Callie. They now have about an hour before her test and Arizona grabs a tablet from the nurse's station as she heads into Katie's room.

She walks into the room and makes her way to the same recliner she read from earlier. She has a seat and takes a moment to really think about what's going on… about the woman down the hall who is turning her world upside down. She now ponders how she feels about this little girl in front of her. She knew from talking to Callie last week at Jax, that she had been married. So that part wasn't news. And although she didn't know that Callie had a daughter before last night, she can see the love she has for the little girl.

Realization hits Arizona... The night she saw Callie in Jax, seemingly upset over something... that was the very same day she and Dr. Tanner had a conversation about Katie that was not very promising. And suddenly... the night makes sense. Callie had been upset about her daughter. As she scours her mind for other clues, she remembers the weekends away and they make sense now. Suddenly she feels ashamed for implying that Callie had been sleeping with Mark all weekend, when more than likely, they were here with Katie. Now she wonders... why didn't Callie just tell her? Was it easier to let someone believe she was sleeping around than to talk about her daughter. And she realizes right then, that yes... it was probably a lot easier. Especially if it hurt to talk about it. So, that's why she didn't correct Arizona when she assumed she was sleeping with him. Shaking her head at herself, she feels so ashamed.

Focusing back on Katie, Arizona begins thinking back to different women she has been with. Only one has had a child and it didn't last more than a couple of weeks. It was different though. No coming and going as they wanted. Everything had to be planned out. Sex was definitely not as frequent as with other partners. Then Arizona thinks back to her talk with her mom yesterday morning. She can't wait to just kiss Callie. Something so little seems so fulfilling to her and the rest isn't as important. And she realizes, she is more than ok with this relationship being different. She wants it to be different. For the first time, she wants this to be about more than sex because she finds Callie so absolutely amazing. Not that she doesn't want sex with Callie, because she is confident it would be amazing. But, the more she finds out about her, the more amazing Callie becomes to her. And finding out about this little girl... As she sits and watches her, she realizes she has had a connection with this little girl since she held the file in her hand, even when she didn't know who she was. And she realizes, everything in her life has led her right here... and she is perfectly content with these _two_ ladies being in her life.

Pulling herself from her thoughts, she smiles and then brings up Katie's chart, more anxious than ever to help this little brunette get better. Arizona once again checks on her labs to find some have finally posted. As she is sorting through the results, she gasps, just as Callie is walking back in.

"What's wrong?" Callie asks, rushing over. "Is Katie ok? What happened?"

Callie makes her way over to check on Katie but Arizona was so stunned she hadn't processed Callie's questions. Seeing Callie checking Katie, she quickly stands, setting the tablet down in her chair. She reaches for Callie's arm to turn her around. "Callie... I just got the updated lab reports. She has the antibodies... It's... It's Juvenile MG."

"What?" Callie gasps.

"It's for sure MG... we can skip the nine o'clock test! She has it. This antibody test can confirm diagnosis. We can... we can talk with neuro and start discussing treatments... We can start treating her!"

Callie breaks down into full on sobs as she falls into Arizona. Arizona embraces her and lets her cry. For the first time in two years, they know for sure how to possibly help her little girl, and she is so overcome with emotions. She has been trying so hard not to get her hopes up since they arrived here last night. But now… now she is able to really hope. Now she knows with the right treatment, she might really get her daughter back. She might be able to open her eyes and breathe on her own, maybe get back to a normal life.

When Callie finally releases Arizona from the embrace, she reaches for the box of tissues on the bedside table to wipe of her face. She can't help but start laughing, overcome with such a profound joy at the new prospect of hope that is now surrounding them. She laughs and cries all at the same time, as Arizona can't help but be enveloped in the joy. Being a part of this… of being able to give a parent this hope, is why she does what she does for a living. But right here with Callie, the feelings she is experiencing right now, is more than she could have ever expected to feel at delivering news to a parent. Because, Callie is more than just a parent. She is more than that to Arizona.

Callie sits down and begins to talk to Katie. "Did you hear that? We know what's going on. We know you are there and that you can probably hear me right now. We are going to do everything humanly possible to get you better. It won't be easy and we have a long way to go still, but we think we can help you feel better. I love you so much!" Callie stands and reaches down to hug her daughter, the best way she can. Being hooked up to the vent and with all the wires, she hasn't been able to hold her daughter in a very long time.

Arizona quietly makes her way out of the room. Seeing Callie try to hug her daughter just gave her an idea. "Nurse Cathy… can you grab another nurse for me and both of you come to room 905? I need some help for a minute.

"Sure thing, Dr. Robbins."

Arizona walks back in the room and Callie is still peppering her daughter with kisses. "Callie…" Arizona says. "I need you to move over for a second," Arizona says.

"Am I hurting her?"

"No," Arizona says, as the nurses walk in. "But I know something you will both like better."

Confused, Callie does as Arizona asks and scoots over. Arizona motions for the nurses to come closer and begins giving instructions. With both nurses holding tubes and maneuvering wires around, Arizona is able to move Katie over just a little. As she turns around, Callie has tears rolling down her face as she realizes what Arizona is doing.

"There. Now you can curl up there and lay with her for a little bit."

Arizona thanks the nurses and sends them away. Making sure they are gone, she turns around to face Callie. I'm going to go and let you have some privacy. I need to go get ahold of Dr. Shepherd and get her in here. She is one of the best they have in neuro. She was a good friend of mine and I know she won't care to come in on the weekend. We will look at the labs and then figure out how to proceed. I know what I would prefer but she has a little more experience with this than I do."

"Arizona, I can't even begin to thank you. I just…," Callie shakes her head, then wipes the tears that seem to be persistent today. "I know… I know we are a long way from being out of the woods. I know that. But, you have given us hope. So, thank you."

"No need to thank me. I'll give you some time and I'll be back, hopefully with Dr. Shepherd in tow. Here…" Arizona says, holding out her hand. "Let me help you get situated."

Callie takes her hand and starts to climb into bed with Katie. Once she is situated, Arizona leans over and grabs the blanket from the recliner and covers Callie up. She reaches over and squeezes Callie's shoulder.

"I'll see you in a little bit."

Callie smiles, then scoots closer to her daughter, wrapping her arm around her. Arizona makes her way out of the room and to the nurse's station, pulling her cel phone out to call Amelia Shepherd. She agrees to come in and Arizona texts Beth to give her the good news, also asking her to come in and discuss Katie's treatment. She doesn't want to waste any time and is anxious to see what the other two doctors think.

Arizona decides to go grab some coffee and take some to Callie while she is waiting for the other two doctors. Walking back into Katie's room, she sees Callie still curled up beside Katie. She sets the coffee on the table beside her bed along with a muffin she grabbed. She heads back out to the nurse's station and runs into Julie, who is leaving for the day.

"So... you take breakfast to all the patients now?"

"Let it go, Julie."

"Oh, come on. Just making small talk. But, I guess if I remember right, you like pillow talk a lot better. So, if you prefer the pillow talk, I know an open on-call room right now," Julie says, laying her hand on Arizona's arm.

Just as Arizona goes to pull her arm away and put Julie in her place, Arizona hears a throat clear behind her.

"Excuse me ladies, hate to um, interrupt... but do you happen to know what room Katherine O'Malley is in?"

"You're Mark, right?" Arizona asks, not believing the timing of this.

"That's me."

"Follow me, I'll take you to her." Arizona steps around Julie and looks at Mark as she leads him to Katie's room. "That wasn't what it looked like."

"Wait... aren't you the one I hit on at Jax a few months ago."

Arizona just looks at him, and nods.

"Then, from what I hear, that's exactly what it looked like."

Arizona stops and looks at him. "You and I don't know each other. I don't need to explain myself to you, but I am going to, just this once, because I don't want any misunderstandings. What you saw there, was an old hookup that I haven't seen in two years, try to hit on me. It was one-sided. End of story. I would appreciate it if we can leave it at that."

"Ok... but I don't know why you need to explain it to me?"

"Because, you are a friend of Callie's and I want no misunderstandings." Arizona isn't sure what Callie has told Mark, but she isn't about to let a stupid misunderstanding mess things up. She also isn't about to tell Mark what is going on between her and Callie if Callie hasn't done it yet, so she doesn't elaborate.

"I still don't understand. But, ok..." Mark says, wondering why Arizona felt the need to get that out in the open.

"Good. Here we are. There is some coffee for her on the table when she wakes up. Callie will have some news to share when she does."

"Good or bad?"

"Definitely good. But, I'm sure she will want to tell you what it is."

"Thanks," Mark says, as he makes his way into Katie's room.

Arizona nods, then heads back to see Julie before she can leave. She makes her way back and Julie is grabbing her things about to leave.

"You sure you don't want to head to that on-call room?" Julie asks, seductively.

"Julie, I swear, if you ever... and I mean ever, pull a stunt like that again, I will report you for harassment. I told you, I'm here to work. This..." Arizona says pointing between them, "Isn't going to happen. So, don't ever try talk to me about it again." With that, she grabs her tablet and makes her way to the meeting room to for wait for Beth and Amelia.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Callie wakes up to see Mark sitting in the chair, looking at his phone. "Hey... How long have you been here?"

"Oh, not long. Need some help up?" Mark asks.

"Yeah... that would be great," Callie says, holding her hand out for Mark.

"So, blondie out there said you had some news. What is it?" Mark asks, eagerly.

"The antibody test confirmed it's MG. We can start treatments!" Callie excitedly says while grabbing onto Mark's arms.

"Cal! That's amazing!" Mark reaches over and lifts Callie off the ground and swings her around, causing Callie to squeal! "Callie..." Mark says, as he puts her down, "That is just... I don't even know what to say."

"I know, Mark. It's just... I have waited so long to get some kind of shred of hope. And we got not only that, but a diagnosis. I just, I can't even tell you how wonderful it is, to know I might get her back. She is everything to me."

"She is an amazing little girl. If she can hang on this long… she is a fighter. She can do this."

"I hope you are right Mark. I just can't stand the thought of treatments not working. So, I have to believe they will. Because if we go through all the treatments and they don't work…" Callie shakes her head and holds back the tears that are threatening to fall.

"They will. They have to... It's one of the best hospitals in the country. So, how did they figure this out?" Mark asks.

"Um, you mentioned something about 'Blondie' telling you I had good news? Who were you talking about?" Callie knows it was Arizona, but she wants to double check.

"Oh, Dr. Robbins, the one you don't like that's across the road from you. She was out there. Oh... and she said there was coffee and a muffin there for you," he says, pointing to the table.

Smiling, Callie looks over and indeed, sitting there on the table, is some coffee and a chocolate chip muffin. Looking back at Mark, she says, "I have some things I should um, probably tell you."

"Wait..." Mark says, looking at the coffee. "Why did blondie bring you the coffee? You don't like each other..."

"She is actually Katie's doctor. She is the one who diagnosed her," Arizona says with a smile.

"No kidding? How did that happen?"

"Well, turns out, she is also a peds surgeon who did her residency here. They called her to consult on Katie's case. So, she has been consulting and I think she is a genius. I mean, she was able to find something that you and I and every other doctor my dad flew in missed."

"Hm. Well, maybe I underestimated her then."

"Yeah. Turns out she is more than a peds doctor. She is... kind of amazing," Callie says, smiling.

"I'd say anyone who diagnosed her would be amazing," Mark agrees.

"Mark... I need to tell you something. And I need you to not be such a man about it. I need you to be my friend... My supportive friend."

"What are you talking about? I am supportive."

"I know. But, I need you to just... take a breath when I tell you what I need to tell you."

"Ok..." Mark says slowly, squinting his eyes at his best friend.

"Um... I... I kind of agreed to have dinner with her. Before all this happened. I didn't know she was consulting on Katie's case and she obviously didn't know I had a daughter. But..."

"Wait... You mean," Mark says, trying to piece things together and his eyes light up. "You mean... you and blondie are a thing?"

"No. We aren't a thing. But... I did agree to dinner with her. But we put everything on hold, for now. Because Katie is more important and I need to focus on her."

"Callie. I can't believe you are crossing over to the lady loving side. Oh...," Mark says as he remembers what he overheard earlier. "You have competition though. Some nurse was hitting on her out there."

"What?"

"Yeah. Some nurse was trying to get her in the on-call room," Mark says. "Now it makes sense," he says as he suddenly understands why Arizona wanted to make him see that nothing was going on. "She made it a point to tell me it was nothing though, after I overheard."

"Someone was propositioning her?"

"Yeah... some hot nurse. But... blondie gave me the lowdown and said nothing happened and it was just an old flame hitting on her."

"An old flame? Here?" Callie asks. "I guess I should have assumed she had them here too. I mean, she has them all over the place at home..." Callie says, sitting down.

"Callie... stop. She said nothing happened and it was one-sided. I don't even know her, but she was adamant she didn't want any misunderstandings. She made it a point to tell me, when she didn't have to. She could have let me assume whatever, but she didn't want that to happen. Obviously, she didn't want you to think something happened when it didn't."

Callie sits there quietly for a few minutes. "Mark, I have never been interested in a woman before. And then she comes along and has me questioning everything. And I mean, everything. I am having thoughts I have never had, and... I'm enjoying it. I'm worried though because she has a long list of women. Woman that are way more experienced… without kids. Why would she want to spend time with me? Or beyond that, why would she wait on me when she has women like that lining up for her now?"

"Seriously? Because... you're you," Mark ways matter of factly. "That's all it takes. I mean, that's all it took for me... And I know that's all in the past, but it's still true. You are something else and she can see that. And, I'm sure you will get the hang of 'things' pretty quickly," Mark says with his air quotes, smirking.

"Mark, that's... I... Never mind. I'm not going to talk about _that_ with you," Callie says. "I just… I don't know Mark. I feel like she needs more than I can give her."

"Maybe you need to let her decide," Mark says. "You are so much more than you give yourself credit for."

XXXXXXX

"Good morning Dr. Shepherd," Arizona says, as Amelia walks into the meeting room to find Beth and Arizona sitting there.

"Good morning! I can't tell you how surprised I was to get your call this morning. We have missed you around here."

"Thanks. It's actually nice to be back for a little bit," Arizona says, smiling.

"Well, Beth would take you back anytime, I'm sure of it."

"Oh, I definitely would," Beth says, smiling.

"So... You have a juvenile MG diagnosis. Long-lasting severe symptoms. Patient is on a vent and non-responsive."

"Yes. That would be correct," Arizona says.

"Well, there are certainly several treatment options. Because of the severity, I think we should implement several options right off the bat. Normally, we would start slow and work our way up. However, this is one of the most severe cases I have ever heard of."

"Agreed," the other doctors both chimed in.

"Here's what I propose. We start her on plasmapheresis and start removing the antibodies. We also start her on IVIG therapy. I don't normally recommend both at once, but I think this case calls for it."

"I was hoping you would say that," Arizona says. "I also think we need to remove the thymus gland. There is no tumor, but I say we go ahead and remove it. Doing that often leads to better outcomes, and in this case, I strongly encourage going ahead and removing it."

"I would agree with that as well," Amelia says. "Will you do that or have Beth do it?"

"Um... I will probably be the one to do it," Arizona says, looking at Beth.

"Ok..." Amelia says, looking between the two. "What am I missing?"

Beth smirks and looks at Arizona. "Nothing. Unless you are talking about her being in love with Katie's mom."

"What?" Amelia asks, seemingly surprised. "Arizona Robbins... this woman must be something else if she snagged you."

"Ok... nobody is in love and she hasn't snagged me. We just met, like... a month ago..." Arizona explains how she and Callie met, and how they got to where they are now.

"Well... I would agree with Beth. I think you are head over heels in love with this woman. So, she must be pretty special."

"You two need to stop. Nobody loves anyone. We just met," Arizona says, trying to once again convince herself it is too early to have those kinds of feelings. "Now... about the surgery," she says, getting back on track. "I think we should go ahead and start her on the plasmapheresis immediately. It usually helps to start that before surgery. Let's plan on surgery tomorrow, where I will take out the thymus gland... and I'll probably take that out through a small incision in the neck and use a video assist. After that, we can start her on IVIG therapy."

"That sounds like the best option at this time. I think it's one of those things where you give it all you've got. I prefer to hold off on the meds for muscular improvement for now though. I think we need to get the muscles and nerves talking again and then we can work on that. Those can have some serious side effects and we don't want to start them before we need to," Amelia says, looking over the notes on the tablet.

"Ok. So, I think that you two have this down to a science by listening to you. I'm not sure why you needed me," Beth says smiling. "But, that's ok... I missed working with you guys together. You both have such similar ideologies about things that it always works out well when you two are together."

"That's a good thing," Arizona says, standing.

"Arizona, does the mom realize this isn't going to be an overnight improvement? That we might still be looking at weeks to months of making significant advances?"

"Yeah. She does... She knows it's a long road still, but she has hope. And sometimes, that's worth more than anything."

"Ok. Well, please, let me know if you need anything else. I will be glad to pop back in or text... just whatever you need. Otherwise, I will check in with you tomorrow."

"Oh...," Arizona says, with a worried look, realizing she had overlooked something.

"What?" Beth asks, beating Amelia to the question.

"Well, it's just, I need to call and have my appointments cancelled for the next week. I'm not leaving until we think we are heading in the right direction."

"Arizona, after the surgery, you can also oversee her case from home. You don't actually have to be here all the time," Beth says.

"I know. But... I want to be. At least for this week."

Seeming to understand, Beth nods. They make their way back to Katie's room and see Callie and Mark standing by the bed. Arizona is somewhat surprised to see Mark standing right behind Callie, with both arms wrapped around her, as they watch Katie. Clearing her throat, Callie and Mark quickly turn around.

Callie turns to see Arizona fidgeting with her tablet, not yet making eye contact. "Hey."

Arizona finally looks up after Amelia taps her arm from behind her. "Hey," she says as she can't help but look at Mark's arm still wrapped around Callie's waste. "We wanted to um, discuss treatment if now is a good time. Or, we can come back?"

Seeing where Arizona's eyes on Mark's arms, Callie realizes what it might look like and pulls back away from Mark, creating a little distance between them. "Um, now is perfect. We were just talking to her."

Nodding, Arizona continues. "Callie, Mark, this is Amelia Shepherd, neuro. She is one of the best. Amelia, this is Callie Torres and her friend, Mark."

"Nice to meet you," Callie says, offering her hand to Amelia.

"You too," Amelia says, shaking Callie's hand as Mark goes through the same process.

"So... here's what we are thinking..." Arizona explains everything they talked about. Although Callie is hesitant about the surgery, she knows it will need done.

"And... you will do the surgery?" Callie asks.

"As long as you are ok with it. Otherwise, Beth can do it."

"No, you can. I want you to do it."

"Ok. We will go out and get the plasmapheresis started immediately and then I will get the OR scheduled for tomorrow," Arizona says. "Do you two have any more questions?"

"How long do you think it will take to see at least any slight improvements?" Mark asks.

"We really don't know. This is one of the most severe cases we have ever seen. Usually, it can take a few months to get most of the symptoms to reverse. As severe as this is, it may take longer. So, we start out hoping for anything. A muscle twitch, a pinky moving, an eyelid to flutter open. Just, anything. You just need to take the small things as big victories... because it is. Every movement we can get, is a huge accomplishment for her and it will show we are moving in the right direction," Arizona shares.

"Will treatment change if we see no improvement?" Mark hates to ask the question, but wants to make sure Callie knows what she is dealing with.

Sighing, Arizona says, "We will absolutely make any adjustments we feel need to be made. We have a small arsenal of tools and we will exhaust them, I promise you," she says looking right at Callie. "We will use everything at our disposal and then some. We aren't going to give up. But, if there is no improvement, at some point, we will have to talk again. But right now, we hope and we pray and we treat. OK?" She looks at Callie as she nods... Not able to find words but knowing Arizona was right.

"Ok. I am going to go get things scheduled. We will see you in a little bit," Arizona says.

As she turns to walk out, Callie goes to say something to Arizona but is stopped by Amelia. "Callie, it was nice to meet you. I'll be checking in later with Arizona and I'll stop by in the morning."

"That sounds good. It was nice to meet you too," Callie says, offering a smile. By the time Amelia turns to leave, Arizona and Beth are already out the door.

Sighing, Callie sits down. She is so overwhelmed right at this moment. Everything has moved so quickly this weekend and it is a lot to process.

"You ok?" Mark asks, moving to stand beside her. He sits on the edge of the recliner and pulls her closer to him, as she starts crying. "Hey... it will be ok," Mark says, rubbing her back. "She is tough, just like her mom. She will pull through this."

Callie continues to cry as Mark comforts her, talking softly to her. "I know... it's just a lot to take in right now. But, I'm right here. I can stay as long as you need me."

Out at the nurse's station, Arizona makes arrangements for Katie's surgery tomorrow and puts in the orders for today's treatment. Once she is done, she makes her way to the lounge so she can call Teddy. Arizona can't help but wonder about Callie and Mark's relationship. Callie said he wasn't her boyfriend, and that they were friends. But after seeing them in there when she walked in, with his arms around her, maybe things have changed. Maybe Callie was seeing him casually. That would still make her statement of him not being her boyfriend accurate. Shaking her head, she thinks that just can't be. Callie doesn't seem like the type to play around.

Arizona shakes her head and pulls out her phone, giving Teddy a call.

"Hey Teddy," Arizona says, after Teddy answers.

"Hey stranger. Where are you? I have tried to call you all morning."

"Sorry. I had my phone on silent. Listen... you aren't going to believe this, but Katherine O'Malley? She is Callie's daughter," Arizona says, surprising Teddy.

"What?"

"Yeah. I made a breakthrough yesterday and drove to Rochester last night. And... there was Callie."

"Wow. That's... weird. I mean, not that she has a daughter, but that her daughter is the consult. Seriously, what are the odds of that?"

"Yeah, I know. So weird. But, it's been a good weird, if that makes sense. And we were able to make a diagnosis. We are actually going to start treatment today and I'm going to take her in for surgery tomorrow... which is why I'm calling."

"You need me to reschedule tomorrow?"

"Actually, I want to just reschedule the whole week."

"What? Why?"

"Because, I'm... taking lead on this. And... I want to be here."

"Oh... ok. You have just never taken a week off, let alone rescheduled a day. and now you are rescheduling your whole week."

"On Friday when she came over, it was to tell me she would have dinner with me. She agreed to a date, Teddy. With me! And then I get here and find out she has a daughter, who looks so much like her. I need to be here. Not that it matters, I guess. You remember Mark? The guy we saw her going away with..."

"Yeah, what about him?"

"Well, he's here. And they are more than cozy. She said he wasn't her boyfriend but now... I'm not so sure. I don't stand behind you and wrap you up you up in my arms."

"You are jealous."

"No, I'm not. It's just... I'm not sure what's really going on between them."

"Arizona, Addie said last week when she and I were talking about you and Callie, that her and Mark were just friends. That's what she told Addie, anyway. So... I don't think you have to worry about it. If she says they are friends, then that's what they are. Don't read anymore into than you need to."

"Maybe you're right."

"I'm always right."

"Hardly. Well, if you can reschedule for me, I'd appreciate it. Then maybe keep office hours until noon each day to take phone calls, then close up for the day. I'll still pay you and Mandy for the whole day."

"Aren't you feeling generous," Teddy laughs.

"Well, I just know it wasn't planned. I'm not going to leave you hanging on a paycheck."

"Well, I thank you for that. Listen... talk to her. Most of your relationships blow up because you don't talk about things. If you want her to be different, start doing things different from the beginning."

"You're right. Well, I need to go. They are starting a treatment on Katie soon, so I want to be there. I will talk to you later."

"Alright. Call if you need anything else."

"I will. Thanks Teddy."

"Anytime."

Arizona hangs up and contemplates what Teddy just said. If Callie told her and Addie there isn't anything going on between them, then maybe she needs to trust her.

As she heads back to see if they are ready to start Katie's treatment, she busies herself looking back over Katie's information. Arizona sits at the nurse's station with her eyes glued to the tablet screen, unaware of Callie standing outside Katie's door.

Callie is having the same conversation that Arizona just had with Teddy, on the phone with Addie. She is rescheduling her appointments for the upcoming week, at least for now. It will probably have to be extended. Luckily, things are still relatively slow since they just opened, so it won't be as hard to shuffle things around.

Mark comes out just as Callie is getting off the phone. "Hey, this coffee is getting cold. You better come drink it," he says handing it to her and putting his arm around her to lead her back into the room. She nods and turns to head back with him, when she realizes that Arizona is sitting at the desk. Arizona happens to look up at that moment. Callie stops and says something to Mark as he turns around to see Arizona sitting there. He nods and heads back into the room as Callie makes her way over towards Arizona.

"Hey. You left pretty quick earlier. I thought you would come back in."

"Um, yeah. I had to put orders in and get things moving. The sooner the better," Arizona says, nodding. "Then, I had to give Teddy a call and have her do some rescheduling."

"Arizona, I'm so sorry," Callie says as she realizes why that was necessary. "I wasn't even thinking about you being here tomorrow. We can have Beth do it. I don't want to keep you away from your office."

"Oh, it's no big deal. I um, I actually took the whole week off," Arizona says, quickly looking down.

"What? Why did you take the whole week?"

"I wanted to. I want to he here to keep an eye on things. It's an important week."

"Arizona… you don't have to do this," Callie says, hating that she didn't realize earlier that Arizona would have to give up office time to be here.

"Arizona, I'm sure you have things you need to do."

Standing up, Arizona heads around the desk and grabs Callie's hand. She walks with her down the hall to the first empty room she can find.

"I know this is going to make me sound like an idiot. And I hate that… I do. But... I need to ask you something," Arizona says.

"You can ask me whatever you want," Callie says, not knowing where Arizona is going with this.

"You said that Mark wasn't your boyfriend but you seemed really close in there."

"We are close. We have known each other for over fifteen years."

"Yeah. But, you seem… really close."

"That's not a question," Callie says with her eyebrows raised.

Sighing, Arizona asks, "Are you sure he isn't your boyfriend? Because, you looked _really_ close in there."

Sighing, Callie says, "Look, Mark is Mark. We were a thing a very long time ago. But, it wasn't meant to be. Mark is my family now. There is nothing more to it than that."

"I'm sorry. It's not any of my business, I just…"

Callie cuts her off. "I had the same feeling earlier, when Mark said someone was propositioning you this morning."

"Did he also tell you I turned her down?"

Smiling, Callie says, "Yeah, he did. Seems we have both been a little jealous today." Shaking her head, her smile faltering, as she says, "I don't think I can keep doing this. I..."

"Oh... I'm, I'm sorry. I will um, I will turn the case over to Beth. I will go ahead and go back home. Beth can consult with me any time she needs to though," Arizona says, looking down.

"I don't want another doctor for Katie."

"You said you can't keep doing this, though," Arizona says, confused.

"That's not why I said that Arizona. I said that because, I know we said we would table this conversation we are supposed to have, for now. But I don't think we can table it. We have this... this chemistry that goes beyond anything I have ever felt before."

"I know…"

"I don't want to table the discussion, I want to talk about things now. I am with my daughter, in the hospital, while also trying to get my practice up and running. This diagnosis changes everything for us. I don't even know what I am going to do past this week... I mean, I am now going to be living between two places. I don't have time to date. At all... but I want to date you. That's selfish of me though, because you deserve more than a few minutes here and there and I can't ask you to wait. That's not fair to you. You deserve someone who has time for you. Someone who can go off to… to on-call rooms with you if that's what you want," Callie says as she looks up at the ceiling, embarrassed to say that.

"Callie.." Arizona tried to stop her, but Callie keeps talking.

"I just... I cant offer that right now. And it isn't fair to ask you to wait. Because I don't know how long this will take and I don't even know if you like kids. That might be a deal breaker for you anyway. So as much as I want to try this with you right now, I think it is best if you move on."

"Callie, don't do this. You are telling me you feel this chemistry, this thing between us, and you want me to move on? You can't just tell me that and then tell me to move on."

"You deserve more than this right now."

"Callie… I don't think you understand. I know we don't know each other and it makes this even crazier. But I will wait as long as you need."

"No. That is selfish of me and I can't let you do that."

"I'm not asking for permission Callie. I don't have a choice but to wait. Because I know as sure as I'm standing here," Arizona says as she reaches out and holds Callie's hands, "that this is where I am supposed to be. Let everyone say it is too soon, I don't care. But you need to believe me, when I say I have no choice but to wait… because I am so drawn to you. We don't have to rush and I could care less about on-call rooms. I understand there are no date nights on the horizon and I wouldn't expect there to be. But I am choosing whatever time I can get if the opposite is nothing at all. I will take coffee and muffin moments over fancy dinners out, any day of the week, if that is what we need to do. Because I believe that you, and more importantly, _that_ _we,_ could be worth it."

"Arizona… no. We just met. You don't need to be tied down to someone with a sick child, let alone someone who has never been with a woman before," Callie says, giving Arizona a sad smile.

At this moment, Arizona knows there is only one thing to do. She let's go of Callie's hands and without anymore thought, she places both hands on either side of Callie's face and leans in, capturing the brunette in an unexpected kiss. It only takes Callie a few seconds to respond and she brings her hands up to wrap around the back of Arizona's shoulders pulling her closer. The kiss isn't hurried but somehow is more passionate than either of them could have anticipated. When Arizona finally pulls back, she leaves her hands on Callie's cheeks, running her thumbs up and down, caressing her face.

Looking into Callie's eyes, Arizona asks quietly, "Do you really want me to walk away from this?"

At that moment, Arizona's pager goes off. She quickly reaches down to grab it and sees that it is from the nurse's station.

"Um, we uh, we need to go. They are ready to start her treatment." With that, Arizona turns to walk towards the door, holding it open for Callie. "They are waiting on us."

Totally in shock from what just happened, but also knowing she needs to get to Katie, Callie nods and follows Arizona.

AN: Callie is trying to do what she thinks is right. Wonder how long that will last...


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Callie stands by the counter in Katie's room and looks over information about plasmapheresis. She signs her name at the bottom of the form and hands it to Arizona. She is then handed another consent form for the staff to put in a central line, making it easier to administer the plasmapheresis and not have to endure multiple iv's almost daily . Callie's daughter will undergo several sessions of plasmapheresis a week, with each session lasting several hours.

Once all the forms have been signed, Katie is taken down to the lab so that the line may be put in. Arizona lets her stay with Katie until they get there, then asks Mark to take her out to the waiting room.

"You will stay with her the whole time?" Callie asks Arizona, as Mark opens the door to the waiting room.

"I promise," Arizona says with a small smile, trying to encourage Callie. She seems to accept that as she turns to follow Mark out the door.

Arizona does as she promised, and stays with Katie to assist with putting the line in.

Out in the waiting room, Callie is sitting with her head resting in her hands as Mark brings her a fresh cup of coffee. "Here... you didn't get a chance to touch the cup blondie brought you. You need something."

Looking up, Callie takes the cup from Mark. "Thank you."

"Anytime. So, where did you and blondie run off to?"

"Um, you need to quit calling her that. We just went down the hall," Callie says, trying the coffee and making a face. "This is terrible," Callie says, holding it out to look at it.

"Yeah, not surprised. It looks like it may have been there for a while," Mark says, as he takes a sip of his. "That's some nasty-ass coffee," Mark chokes out.

Chuckling, Callie stands up, grabs his cup, and heads to throw both cups away, then walks over to the window. A strange mix of emotions begins to wash over her as she contemplates the past twelve hours. Thirteen hours ago, she was almost out of hope that anything could be done to help her daughter. But now, she is currently starting the process of what will hopefully be her daughter's journey to recovery.

Thinking ahead, she can't begin to imagine the possibilities... the what-ifs. MG has no cure... it can only be treated. Callie knows that even if the treatments work, Katie will always have to be on some sort of meds for the rest of her life.

As everything is really starting to sink in, Callie begins to go through a gamut of emotions. Relief she knows what is wrong. Hope that the treatments can work. Fear that they won't. Anger that this is all happening to begin with and she wonders why it's happening to her little girl. Upset that even when meds work, she has a lifetime of possible complications ahead of her. And then she hurts... she hurts because even if Katie might seem healthy one day, she still won't be. Her once perfect, healthy little girl isn't healthy anymore, and as a parent, there is really nothing she can do but be there for her. She can provide the best doctors and the best facilities... and sometimes, it isn't enough. It will never be enough. Because she wants to make it all go away, and she can't.

Mark makes his way over and puts his arm around Callie. "I'd ask if you are ok, but I already know the answer to that."

Shaking her head, she says, "Mark, I can't even begin to tell you what's going through my mind right now. Because, there are just no words."

"I know." That's all Mark could think of to say. He just needs to be here. "So… you wanna tell the pervy guy here what you and the good doctor were doing when you went and disappeared together?" He hopes to distract her at this point, because he understands she needs to think about herself too.

Shaking her head, she says, "Just talking Mark." She makes her way back to her seat in the vacant waiting room and sits down. Being late on a Sunday morning, it is deserted.

"About?"

"I told her I can't offer her enough and she needs to move on."

"I thought we talked about that?" Mark asks, confused.

"Mark, I will not be selfish and ask her to do this. I will be spending all of my time either at work, or in a hospital with Katie… at least for the foreseeable future. If Katie can hear me or open her eyes to see me, I will be with her. I am not going to give that up to worry about dating right now. My daughter comes first."

"Callie, people have sick children and relationships all the time. People make them work. You have to focus on yourself too. I mean, didn't you say you had already agreed to dinner with her?"

"I did... when I didn't really think Katie could hear me and could actually he conscious. When I didn't think she could hear me, I knew I could spend that time away. Now that I know she can probably hear me... I'm not going to leave her here every night alone. And those people that try to have relationships, it tears them apart, Mark. We saw that going through med school. This is a life that Katie and I didn't get to choose. We didn't choose this, at all. Arizona does get a choice, and she doesn't need this. She deserves someone that can give her more than this."

"Callie, if these treatments work, you will be able to take her home. She won't always be in a hospital. You are acting like this is a permanent situation. It's not. What did Arizona say?"

"Can we not talk about this right now?" Callie asks, standing up to be able to move away from him.

"What did she say, Callie?"

Callie shakes her head as Mark stands to follow her back to the window.

Sighing, Callie says, "She says she wants to wait. That she doesn't have a choice but to wait because there is something between us. That she doesn't care how soon it is, but she knows she wants us to try. That she would take muffins over dates, or something like that, if that's what it takes. And then... she kissed me."

"If we weren't having a serious conversation, I'd make a joke about her wanting your muffins. But I won't go there," he grins. How was the kiss?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why? Because you don't want to admit that you enjoyed it? You need to let _her_ decide what she wants and not decide for her."

"She doesn't know what this is like, so how would she know what she wants Mark? My own husband resented me and our daughter. Why in the hell would I expect someone I just met to do what my husband and her father couldn't even do?"

"For one, not everyone is a sorry ass like George was. He was out for himself from the beginning. It was always about him. But you can't think everyone else is going to be like him and walk away. That's not fair."

"Mark, what's not fair is for her to have to be with someone who can't give her what she deserves. She is a beautiful woman and she can have anyone she wants. I mean, women are apparently all over her. It's the perfect time to move on because we are nothing to each other right now... I,"

"Callie…"

Callie turns to see Arizona standing at the door, holding it open. "Um, the central line is in and she is ready to head for her treatment. If you are ready, you can follow me. We are just heading back to her room."

"Arizona…"

"They are waiting on us," Arizona says, shaking her head, stopping Callie. This isn't the time to get into a discussion. "I thought you would want to walk with her."

"Um, of course," Callie says. It would figure that Arizona would walk in right at that moment. Wondering how much was heard but not about to ask, she looks at Mark then follows Arizona back to where Katie is.

Not wanting to make things more awkward than they currently are, Arizona is relieved when they reach Katie, then begins to walk Callie through what is about to happen.

"So, we have special rooms set up for this, kind of like the chemo rooms. In this case though, we are bringing it to her. Today, we are going to treat her for about five hours. Usually, it's only about three, but I think we are going to use extended sessions this week."

"Ok."

"We will monitor her carefully. This can cause a fluid imbalance in her system causing nausea, so we are going to give her something for that before we even start. We are also going to start her on fluids because that can help prevent nausea with this too. About an hour into it, we will give her a dose of Tylenol, because headaches can be common as well. Hopefully, we can keep her comfortable. We will also monitor her BP frequently as this can sometimes lower it."

"Will you be there the whole time?" Callie asks, as they approach Katie's room.

"Um… I will probably be in and out."

Seeing the women might need a minute, Mark says, "Hey, I'm going to grab some coffee and maybe bring back something to eat. You want anything, blondie?"

Looking at him, Arizona shakes her head. "I'm good, thanks."

"Suit yourself. Callie, I'm bringing you something whether you want it or not."

"I'm not hungry Mark."

"I don't care. I'll be back."

The women watch him leave as a few nurses walk past them with supplies into Katie's room.

"Why aren't you going to stay? How will you keep an eye on her if you aren't in there?"

"Callie, I will be in and out, all day. I'm not leaving. I just have some research I need to do. New things are being discovered all the time. I want to make sure we are doing everything we can for her."

"Ok," Callie simply says.

Nodding, Arizona heads into the room to make sure things are getting set up. Once the machines are hooked up and started, she monitors everything for a few minutes while Callie watches quietly. When Arizona is satisfied Katie is ok for now, she decides to head back out to the station. Looking at Callie, she walks around the other side of the bed and stops next to her. "Everything looks good for now. I'm going to go do a little research and I'll be back in about a half hour."

Arizona turns to leave and is stopped when Callie turns around, calling after her. "Arizona… about what you heard earlier…."

"Callie… It's ok. Let's just focus on Katie. That's more important than anything else right now."

"Arizona, I,"

"Ladies, I have some food," Mark says as he comes walking in, holding a bag with food and a coffee carrier with three coffees. "Here blondie, I know you said you didn't want anything, but at least take a coffee," he says, holding the carrier up for her to grab one.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that. Thank you though," Arizona says as she takes it from Mark, careful not to knock the other two in the carrier over.

"I'll be back in about a half hour," Arizona says, quickly looking at Callie then heading out the door, as Callie watches her leave.

"I interrupted something didn't I?"

"I am pretty sure she heard me say that we were nothing. I tried to explain and she said we would just focus on Katie. So… she won't talk to me about it."

"Well, that's what you wanted," Mark tells her as he pulls food from the bag out and hands it to Callie.

"I can't eat Mark. I feel sick to my stomach right now."

"You for sure will get sick if you don't. So eat," he says as he pushes the container at her.

Callie finally takes it as she opens the container. "If I'm doing the right thing, what does it feel so crappy?"

"Maybe because it isn't? You did what you think is right and that's admirable to a point, but sometimes you don't know what is right for everyone else. She didn't hear your reasons why. The only thing she heard you say down there, was that you two are nothing. That's not true and you know it."

"No, it's not true. But maybe her thinking that will help her move on."

"You know… you can try to keep this up if you want, but any idiot can see the way you look at each other." With that, Mark sits back in the extra chair that was brought in and begins to munch on his apple. "And you know, she is kind of an idiot too if she believes you think that. Has she not seen the way you look at her?"

"Mark, she isn't an idiot. But, I am sending a lot of mixed signals, which goes back to my point that this isn't fair to her."

"Well, you need to get your head out of your ass, or she will end up in an on-call room with someone else and you will be too late."

Over the next several hours, Arizona comes in, just as promised, to check on Katie. She always asks if Callie needs anything, but never offers to stay. Instead, each time she makes her way back to the nurse's station.

At the end of the treatment, Arizona comes in with some nurses and unhooks Katie from the machines, and pushes the equipment back out of the way. After the nurses leave, Arizona watches the monitors for a few minutes. She can feel Callie's eyes on her, watching, but not saying anything.

Finally, after being content with what she is seeing, she turns to Callie. "Um, we have surgery scheduled for nine in the morning. My plan is to do a robotic thymectomy to remove the thymus. We make a few very tiny incisions and normally, someone coming in would possibly get out the next day, so we expect no complications from this. We will give her twenty-four hours after surgery, then we will start her IVIG therapy, where we will give her some good antibodies to help her fight this."

"So, how long will the surgery take?"

"Because she is so small, we will proceed slower than with an older child. I would say two hours at the most, but probably closer to an hour."

"Ok. I just, wasn't sure."

"I'm getting ready to go grab something to eat. I can bring you back whatever you want, if you are hungry?" Arizona asks. She herself hasn't stopped to eat today, even though Mark offered to grab her something, and she is starving.

"I'm good. Thanks though."

"If you are sure," Arizona says, and Callie nods. Neither taking their eyes off the other. Arizona looks at her for a few more seconds before she says, "Well, I'm going to go grab something. Mark, what about you?"

"I'm good. Thanks though," Mark says.

"Well, I'll be back later to make sure everything is ok." With that, Arizona heads out the door. Once outside, she stops at the desk to grab her pager, lets the nurse know where she will be, and heads to the cafeteria.

She grabs a tray and finds a place to sit. It has been a long day and she is starting to get tired. She opens her salad and pours the dressing on, thinking back over her day.

"You have a second?"

She looks up to see Mark, with eyebrows raised, pointing to the chair across from her, looking for permission to sit down.

"Uh, sure."

Mark pulls out the chair and sits down, motioning for Arizona to continue eating. "Don't let me stop you. I know you probably haven't eaten today."

"No, I haven't. What can I do for you? Is Katie ok?"

"Oh, she's fine. I actually wanted to talk to you about Callie."

"Does she know you are here?"

"Not exactly. I told her I had to make some calls."

"Then we probably shouldn't do this."

"Look… I know what's been going on. I know what she told you this morning and then I know you overheard what she said. But,"

"Mark… You seem like a nice guy. And you seem to care about her a lot and I am glad, that she has someone like you she can depend on. But, we really shouldn't be talking about this."

"Arizona,"

"Oh, now you know my name. How nice," Arizona says, giving him a look.

"I respect that you don't want to talk about her, but, just hear me out. Please? Then I will go."

"If it will make you go away, fine," Arizona says, rolling her eyes.

"Thank you," Mark chuckles, before turning serious. "Look, I have known Callie for years. I've watched her date, get married. I mean, we were a thing for a little while, and it just didn't work..."

"Yeah, keep moving...," Arizona glares.

"I know... I was just trying to point out that I have seen her with other people. But I have never seen her look at someone the way she looks at you. And I've only been around you two for a few minutes here and there throughout the day. Just... give her a minute to absorb everything. I think she is overwhelmed. And I know you walked in on the tail end of what she was saying, but it wasn't how it sounded. She was meaning, you are nothing in terms of girlfriends or whatever you ladies refer to yourselves as. She just thought it would be easier for you to move on, because she thinks you deserve more. It has nothing to do with how she feels about you."

"Mark, I get it. I do. But did she tell you what I told her this morning?"

"Some of it. I'm sure not all of it."

"I told her I would wait. That I wasn't asking her for permission to do it. But, I _have_ to wait because, frankly, I don't have a choice. She got under my skin from day one. She gave me crap and laughed at my outfit. She stole my parking spot on purpose and enjoyed it. I mean, who does that? But she came in from day one and has been pulling me in ever since. I know we don't know each other, but I think we are starting to really quick. I'm telling you, there is this thing between us that I couldn't explain if I wanted to. And I know she is trying to push me away, but I know she doesn't mean it. Until I think she does, I am not just walking away. I'll give her room, but I'm not going anywhere. And not in a stalker kind of way. I just, want to show her I'm not like anyone else. And I know she is worried about Katie and needing to be here, but I love that about her. I don't want to take her away from her daughter. I would never expect her to put anyone before her daughter, you know?"

"I get it. And I'm glad to hear it. She just doesn't want to hold you back. But, I can tell you, she is a wonderful person, inside and out. Biggest heart you will ever find. She has been through a lot but the past several months, but she has really found herself. I normally don't interfere, but, I just felt like I needed to say something."

"That's ok. You better get back up there. Are you staying for the surgery?"

"Yeah. But, then I have to leave right after. I have a big surgery Tuesday morning I can't push back. It's a collaborative thing. Oh... one more thing she probably won't tell you. She comes from money. So, anything you need, let me know. I'll make sure you have my number before I go tomorrow. She got a lot from George and doesn't want it. But, her own family is well off. Her dad will bend over backwards to make sure Katie has what she needs. Money is no object. At all. So, just keep that in mind. She might hate to ask him for it, but I don't."

"Oh, ok. I can't imagine how that would be necessary, but, I'll keep it in mind."

"You never know. Well, I've kept you long enough. I just, didn't want you to think you heard the whole story this morning."

Mark leaves and Arizona looks at her tray, no longer interested in her food. She has a thought and quickly dumps her tray. She makes an stop and then heads back upstairs towards Katie's room. What she hears, almost takes her breath away.

Callie is sitting next to Katie, holding her hand. Callie's eyes are closed and she is singing "You Are My Sunshine."

Arizona stands in the doorway and listens. She has never heard a more beautiful voice. And just like that, Arizona Robbins falls for Callie Torres just a little bit more.

Arizona's phone chirps, alarming both her and Callie. Callie abruptly stops singing and looks up, noticing Arizona.

"Sorry," Arizona says as she pulls her phone out to see who it is. Noticing it can wait, she walks further into the room.

"I didn't hear you there…" Callie says, giving her a small smile.

"Yeah, sorry. I wasn't trying to interrupt. I just wanted to check in on her. And you…" Arizona says taking in the appearance of the tired brunette. "You have a beautiful voice."

"Oh… um, thanks."

Arizona nods, then makes her way closer to where Callie is standing. She checks over Katie's vitals then stands next to the brunette.

"Did you happen to run into Mark?"

"Oh…um, no. Haven't seen him."

"You aren't a very good liar," Callie says, smiling.

"I didn't. I don't know why everyone says that," Arizona says, shaking her head.

About that time, Callie's phone chimes. She pulls it out to see a text from Mark. Little does she know, he started to come back in but saw the two of them there. Deciding to help the two of them along, he decided to text her with an emergency.

"Hm," Callie says, making a face.

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah. Mark just said he is going to be a while. He said he might go grab a room to get some work taken care of. Something to do with a surgery on Tuesday."

"Oh, yeah. He mentioned that." And as soon as she says it, she realizes she is busted.

"See, you aren't a good liar," Callie says smiling.

"Yeah, well, my mom always says I might be a terrible liar, but at least I'm cute."

"Yeah… she isn't wrong," Callie says quietly, not intending to say it out loud at all. Her eyes suddenly get big as she realizes what she did.

"Here," Arizona says, pulling out a muffin from each coat pocket, and then grabbing two juice bottles out of her bag she is carrying. She hopes to distract Callie from her apparent slip up, admitting the blonde is cute.

"What's that?" Callie asks.

"What's it look like? It's a muffin…," Arizona says, handing it to her. Then, she hands her a juice and walks over to the couch against the wall, just like she did last night Once again, she takes her shoes off and pulls the blanket down and covers her legs.

Callie watches as Arizona goes through the same motions as she did last night. Knowing that Mark went and talked to her, she is a little nervous as to what he might have said. Another larger part is thinking she should probably be thankful. Because as much as she wishes for more for the blonde, she is very happy that she is here with her once again tonight.

"You know, I know it is still a little early, but I'm exhausted," Arizona says taking a bite of her muffin and grabbing the pillow.

Callie sits in the recliner and does the same thing. She begins taking her shoes off and getting comfortable, then opens up her chocolate muffin.

She watches as Arizona crams a bigger than normal piece into her small mouth, and watches as crumbs fall from one side. She can't help but chuckle, causing Arizona to look up

"What?" Arizona asks, slowly wiping her mouth.

"Nothing. I'm just… glad you are here." And she is. And so, they spend their second night together.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Every time the door opens, Callie's eyes flash quickly towards it, anxious to see the blonde doctor walk through it, to deliver news that her daughter is out of surgery.

They took Katie took the operating room about an hour and a half ago. Right now, Callie is doing as any mother probably would… she is worrying.

"Callie, you aren't going to have any nails left if you keep tearing them off."

"I know. It's a nervous habit."

"Well, but you can quit tearing them off now, because there is blondie."

Looking over, Callie is out of her seat and by Arizona in a heartbeat. "How did it go?"

"It went well. Just as expected, no problems whatsoever."

Callie starts crying and Arizona can't help but take the woman in her arms. "It's ok. She is doing fine…" Arizona says, trying to soothe her.

"I'm sorry… it seems like all I have done lately is cry."

"It's ok. Look, they are going to monitor her for about an hour before we take her back to her room, so why don't you let Mark take you and get something to eat. You didn't eat much yesterday and I don't think Katie wants her mom in a bed next to her."

Callie begrudgingly goes with Mark to eat while Arizona stays with Katie. Once Arizona is satisfied that Katie is indeed stable, they transfer her back to her room. Surprisingly, Callie isn't in the room so Arizona sends a quick text letting her know they are back. She pulls up her tablet and puts in the order for the IVIG treatment to be started tomorrow. The goal is to give Katie antibodies that her own body has been destroying.

When Callie gets her text, she and Mark are just leaving the cafeteria. The line was long and it took twice as long as what it should have. While keeping the conversation light at lunch, Callie now asks the question that has been on her mind since last night.

"Aren't you going to tell me what you talked to Arizona about last night?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I know that you went to talk to her. What did you say?"

"Callie, I had a work thing to do. I texted you and told you that. I didn't see her."

"Yeah, well, maybe I could have believed that, but Arizona is a terrible liar. I know you talked to her. So, spill..."

"Getting to know her little quirks already?"

"Mark..."

"Ok, ok. I just know you have a lot going on right now. And I just didn't want to see her give up on you just yet."

"Well, I'm not giving her a choice."

"And from what I can tell, she isn't asking. I haven't liked many people you have dated and I hated your husband... a lot. But, I like her. She tolerates me on a basic level, which I appreciate. She didn't even want to talk to me last night because when she asked if you knew I was there, I told her you didn't."

"So why _did_ she talk to you then?"

"Because I told her I would leave her alone afterwards."

Chuckling, Callie nods. "Yep. I can see how that would do it for her."

"Hey now. You don't have to be so mean about it."

"Oh, believe me, I'm not. Trust me."

"Look," Mark says, stopping once they are on the elevator and turning to face Callie. "You don't have to move at a warp speed. Take one day at a time. If she is meant to find someone else, then it will happen. But, don't just push her away. If she wants to get to know you, let her. Because you and I both know you don't want her to move on."

"No. I don't. I just want what is best for her."

"I think that happens to be you."

The elevator dings and the two make their way to Katie's room. When they walk in, Arizona is sitting and holding Katie's hand with one hand, and has a book in the other, reading to her.

"Damn it," Callie whispers.

"What?" Mark whispers back.

"Why does she have to seem so perfect?"

"Because for you, she is?"

"Mark…"

Mark doesn't give her a chance to finish as he shoves her in the room, startling Arizona.

"Hey, how is she?"

"Um, she is stable. No changes."

"Good. Sorry we weren't back. The lines were terrible."

"No problem. We kept ourselves busy."

"Well ladies, now that I know she is ok, I do need to get back. I really do have a big surgery tomorrow I need to study up on tonight. I've been collaborating with another surgeon on it. We are hoping that things go well enough that we can publish something on our method."

"That's great. I hope it works out Mark," Arizona nods.

"Thanks. Callie, you need me, you call. Got it?"

"Yeah. Thanks. For every thing."

Mark gives her a hug and Arizona quietly slips out. When Mark walks out, he sees Arizona at the nurse's station waiting, with her phone held out.

"Give me your number," she says, holding her phone out.

"What kind of guy do you think I am? I don't give it up for just anyone."

"Not what you said the night you hit on me at the bar."

"You should just forget about all that…" Mark says laughing, taking her phone. He puts his number in and gives it back.

"She will probably call her parents and let them know what's going on. But if she needs money, she hates to ask. So, if either of them need something, let me know and I'll hit up her dad. She likes to do things on her own but her dad is a great man. He would do anything for her. And like I told you yesterday, cost isn't a problem. So, anything you need for her, let me know. I'll get ahold of him."

"I will. Thanks Mark."

"Anytime. And, by the way… I think you guys are good for each other. Don't give up."

"Didn't plan to," Arizona says, giving Mark a wink.

Later that day, Arizona has been in and out checking on the Torres girls. Beth has been pulling Arizona in to consult on a few cases while she is here. Before leaving for the night, Arizona, Beth, and Amelia meet to discuss Katie.

"Surgery went well. IVIG will be started first thing in the morning followed by another plasmapheresis treatment. We did decide on extended sessions for the time being and I will continue that," Arizona says.

"Well, I'm sure we are all hoping for quick results, but I'm not confident enough to make a prediction as to when we might see them either. I'm hoping with the combined treatment along with the thymectomy, that we will see results sooner rather than later. I think the first sign she gives that she can move anything, we start her on cholinesterase inhibitors," Amelia says.

"Actually, that was what I was getting ready to ask you. What if we go ahead and do that now? I understand we didn't want to because of side effects, but if we don't give it everything now, it might not matter. If we can't get a response from her… I just, I know she can't go on like this indefinitely. I say we put it all on the table. I know there are risks, but I think the risks of not doing it are going to be greater," Arizona says sadly.

"I agree," Beth says. "Ideally it would be better to wait. Do we want to add immunosuppressants in as well? If we are going go big or go home, we may as well start her on those too."

Amelia and Arizona look at each other contemplating and Amelia is the first to respond by saying yes.

"I agree on that too. Again, I know we were trying not to overwhelm her little body, but I just can't shake the feeling that it is all or nothing," Arizona says.

"I agree. So, let's keep them both at a moderate dosage…" The women continue to discuss what exact meds they want to start with and begin to plan the rest of the week's treatment schedule.

In Katie's room, Callie has been waiting on Arizona to come back in. She has been gone a while and although the nurses have been in and out, she would much rather see the blonde.

Arizona comes in a little while later, with the medicine cart, pushing it ahead of her. "Hey. Sorry I took so long getting back. I met with Amelia and Beth and we worked up a new game plan."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing has changed. I just think the wait and see approach on a few things is unnecessary. And we all agreed that starting her on the cholinesterase inhibitors and immunosuppressants now rather than later would probably benefit her more."

"It's worse than you thought, isn't it?"

Walking towards Callie, she can't help herself. She reaches for her hand and says, "No… no. I have been honest and upfront with you about everything with her. I just… I have a gut feeling that we need to do this. And that doesn't mean it's a bad thing. Maybe it is doctor's intuition or whatever… but I just think this is what we need to do. I just, feel it," Arizona finishes with a hopeful smile.

"Ok."

Arizona gives Callie's hand a squeeze as she returns back to the med cart and administers them to Katie. Once she is done, she excuses herself and returns the cart.

Making her way back to Katie's room, she hears Callie on the phone. From what she can make out, it sounds like she is talking to her parents, so Arizona leaves to give her some privacy.

Arizona realizes that she, and probably Callie as well, only had a few changes of clothes with them. Deciding that needs fixing, she lets the nurse know she is leaving for a while.

A few hours later, Callie is half asleep when the crinkling of bags catches her attention. Turning to the doorway, Arizona walks back into Katie's room, pushing a cart filled with bags and a pizza box.

"Arizona" Callie says, taking in the site of Arizona and her bag filled cart. "What is all this?"

"This…" Arizona says, holding up a pizza box, "is dinner. The best pizza around. And, I would know because we lived off this in residency. And, I have some drinks and some dessert. They have the best cannoli there. So, come one and move over here to the couch with me…" Arizona says, as she heads that way with the food. "Can you grab those drinks over there? They are in the top yellow bag."

"Um, sure," Callie says as she grabs the bag and follows Arizona.

Having a seat, Arizona pulls over a small table and sets the pizza on it, opening the box.

"I didn't really feel like eating until you opened the box. That smells delicious," Callie says.

"Oh, it is. Like an orgasm in your mouth," Arizona says, causing Callie to laugh. As soon as those words leave her mouth, her eyes get big. "I'm so sorry," Arizona says. "I have a bad habit of saying the first thing that pops in my head sometimes. As you can tell, it is often inappropriate."

"Well, if it's true, it's true," Callie says, shrugging.

"Maybe, but I need to not just, blurt it out" she says, shaking her head. "I didn't know what you liked as far as toppings, so I went with just the special cheese blend and added pepperoni. Hope that is ok?"

"That's fine. I'm not too picky. I'll eat just about anything. My parents didn't give me a choice growing up. If it was on our plate, we ate it."

"Well, I would have struggled with that a little bit. I like a lot, but if I don't like it... I usually really don't like it."

"What do you usually get on your pizza then?" Callie asks.

"Um, although I would like about anything on it, usually I order it just like this."

"Me too," Callie smiles.

"Ok, here... try this," Arizona says, handing Callie a paper plate with a piece of pizza.

"Gladly. I know I haven't had much of an appetite the past two days, but this smells delicious."

As Arizona watches her take her first bite, she is reminded of the lunch where Callie tried her lasagna. The sounds that come out of that woman's mouth should be illegal. She tries to ignore it, but apparently isn't successful as Callie stops and asks, "What's wrong?"

"Uh..." Telling her that there is nothing wrong, she improvises. "Um, I just remembered, I forgot napkins. I got plates, but forgot those. I'll be right back." Callie finds it funny, but lets it go as Arizona rushes out and comes back in a minute later with a small stack of napkins. "Here we go," Arizona says, setting them down on the couch between them. "So, do you like it?"

"It's amazing. If the cannoli is anything like the pizza, this might be an everyday thing."

Arizona laughs as she grabs her piece. "Oh, my goodness. I haven't had this in years. I have missed this so much..." Arizona says, as she takes another bite.

Callie smiles as she watches her. "So, I have to ask... how do you go from surgeon to pediatrician?"

"Well, it was more the other way around. I was already a pediatrician. The more you see, the more you wish you could fix things though. So, I went back and did my surgical residency. I don't like to brag, but, I am pretty awesome at it. They offered me an attending position here when I was done, but I just felt like I needed a break. I had maintained a pretty hectic schedule for a long time, and I really just wanted to take a break and do what I loved doing anyway. Not that I don't love surgery too, but, I just needed to decompress. But... I have recently decided to expand my practice. There is no reason I can't do both. So, instead of referring kids, I can keep them and do it myself."

"Well, there's a lot of benefits to that. No second guesses from other surgeons. Surgeons can be so full of themselves sometimes," Callie says, laughing.

"Says one surgeon to the other," Arizona says, smiling.

"Yeah, we are a rare breed."

"So, I remember reading that you are the genius that created the artificial cartilage. That's not too shabby," Arizona offers with raised eyebrows.

"You remember reading about me?"

"Yeah. I mean, that's a pretty major breakthrough. It was nothing short of amazing," Arizona says, looking down at her drink. "I think that you have changed a lot of lives for the better."

"I hope so. I think that being a surgeon is more than just cutting, you know? It's about making their life better."

"I couldn't agree more," Arizona says. Assuming she was talking to her parents earlier, Arizona asks, "So, have you told your parents what's going on?"

"Um, yeah. I have talked to them a couple times. I talked to my dad earlier. He and my mom are in France on some business right now or they would be here. We are close and they visit when they can, but, usually they always have business somewhere or the other."

"What does he do?" That question has been on Arizona's mind since Mark told her to let him know if she needed something... that money was no object.

"Well, he is in the hotel business. He um, actually owns a chain. You might have heard of Lucia Suites?"

"Oh, yeah. Wow... That's your dad's?"

"Yeah. It's named after my mom. They are doing well these days," Callie says, chuckling. "So, they spend a lot of time traveling right now. Trying to expand. Which means, they don't have much time to visit."

"I'm sorry. It probably sucks not having your family here."

"It does. I know they would be here if they could though."

The women continue to talk as the shift change takes place outside. The women hear someone walk in and look up to see two nurses make their way in, Julie unfortunately being one of them.

"Dr. Robbins. I didn't expect to see you here," Julie says, taking in the sight of the two women on the couch.

Looking at Callie, she says, "Yeah. Dr. Torres and I are... friends," Arizona says.

"I see. Well, we are here to get her vitals. Tammy will be her nurse for the night, I'm just going on rounds with her this evening." Looking at Callie and seeming to give her a once over, she turns to Tammy and they tell the women they are going to get Katie changed and ready for the night.

"Why don't we step out and give them a few minutes?" Arizona asks.

Callie agrees and the woman pick up their trash and make their way to the hallway. Arizona leads them out into the waiting room as they dispose of their trash.

"So, I take it you knew the one nurse?" Callie has a feeling she knows who it is, she just wants to confirm it.

"Um, that's the one Mark saw the other day. She is the head nurse here, so unfortunately I can't get away from her. I know it doesn't really matter to you, but I promise I turned her down."

Deciding to change the subject, Callie only nods. Because the truth is, it does matter. "I can't wait to try that cannoli," Callie says.

"It's almost as amazing as the pizza," Arizona says, moving to sit down as Callie joins her.

"I don't know if I can handle two orgasms in my mouth that close together," Callie says, sitting down in the small chair next to Arizona.

The blonde bursts into laughter causing Callie to do the same. They laugh so hard they have tears rolling down their face.

As the laughter dies down, Arizona turns to look at the brunette. She is amazed at the woman in front of her. In the middle of everything going on, she is still able to smile.

"You know, I don't know how you do it. Thinking back to when I first met you, you always seem so put together. But now that I know you, you have such a worry that you have been carrying around. You are an amazing woman to have been through what you have been through and still be able to go after your dreams of opening your own practice. I'm amazed than you can still smile, after everything. You are a strong woman."

"Well, it hasn't been easy. And it hasn't always been like this. I kind of kept vigil by her bed for months. I um, I ended up in therapy. It took a little while for me to see I couldn't live like that, that I needed to be better for her."

"For what it is worth, I think she would be super proud of you. Hopefully, she will get to tell you that herself."

"I hope you are right."

The nurses walk out of Katie's room and the two stand up.

"She is all set. I will be back later to check in. Let me know if you need anything," Tammy says.

Arizona leads Callie past them towards Katie's room. As Arizona gets in front of her, Julie says, "Let me know if you need… anything."

Callie stops and looks at the woman, not giving Arizona a chance to respond. "If she needs anything, I'm sure I can take care of it." Julie doesn't have time to respond back as Callie continues to walk past Arizona.

Arizona turns to smile at Julie, then follows Callie.

Once they are back in Katie's room, Arizona really wants to jump right in and ask what that was about, but lets it go for now. They stop to check on Katie. She is wearing yellow pajamas with little monkeys on them. "I've seen her in butterflies and monkey so far. Two of my favorites," Arizona says.

"For some reason, I believe you," Callie says, smiling.

They stand there and talk for a bit. Talking to each other and talking to Katie. Arizona begins asking Callie silly kid jokes, causing them both to chuckle. Then Arizona suggests they read her a book, kind of like a bedtime story. Callie goes to pick it out but Arizona beats her to it. Callie is amazed at the woman's ability to let her inner child come out every now and then. Arizona finds a Curious George book at the bottom of the pile and pulls it out. Her and Callie take turns reading every other page. After the story, Callie gives her daughter a kiss on the cheek and tells her she loves her.

They both make their way back over to the couch once more. Sitting down, Callie turns to look at Arizona. She doesn't know where that came from out in the hallway. She knows she can't keep telling Arizona to move on and then practically vagina block her out in the hallway.

"I'm sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut out there. It's not any of my business what you might need to have, um, taken care of or who does it."

"But I think it is your business Callie. I'm not about to push you, but I think you said something to her because you don't _want_ me moving on. Believe me when I say it would never be with her anyway. Maybe I shouldn't say this, but I thought that was pretty damn hot out there."

Callie's eyes grow wide, then she gives a small smile and looks down at her hands before looking back up at Arizona. "I have a daughter."

"I know."

"I don't have time to just… date."

"I know."

"And I have never been with another woman."

"I know that too."

"You deserve more than I can offer you right now."

"And that is only your opinion. Which honestly, makes me fall for you even more."

Callie looks at Arizona. The thought of missing out on this chance, and letting someone else grab it, is no longer something she wants to risk. Arizona knows the situation and is still sitting here.

"I might not be back home for a while. I might be here for who knows how long."

"I'm well aware of the circumstances Callie. I could run if I wanted to. But, I don't want to."

Arizona hopes beyond hope that Callie is getting ready to make a decision that is in her favor this time. "I'm not pushing you Callie I'm really not. I know Katie comes first."

"And that makes me fall for _you_ even more. It shows me your true character. Maybe… maybe if we go slow, maybe we don't need to wait?"

Arizona takes in what Callie is saying. And then she watches the hopeful smile begin on Callie's face and she sees Callie look at her lips. She takes that as her cue and leans in. Giving Callie the chance to pull back, and finding she isn't, Arizona smiles as she leans in and takes Callie's lips with her own. The kiss is sweet and gentle. Arizona depends the kiss and Callie obliges. After a few minutes, Arizona pulls back. The site of Callie with slightly puffy lips, because of kissing her, takes her breath away.

"That was…" Callie tries to find the word, but seems to be unable to come up with the right word. She smiles and puts her hand up to the side of Arizona's face so that she knows this isn't a bad thing.

Arizona leans into Callie's hand. "I know what you mean. I promise, we will go as slow as you want. I'm not rushing you. There are no expectations, ok?"

Callie simply says, "Ok," then leans in for another small kiss. When she pulls back, Arizona has the biggest smile Callie has ever seen grace the blonde's face, and she knows she has made the right decision.

Sitting back, Arizona reaches for the cannoli box and opens it. She pulls one out for Callie and hands it to her, while also grabbing one for herself.

Smiling, Callie takes it. She watches Arizona sit back and take a bite. She notices Arizona has some powdered sugar on the side of her mouth, so Callie reaches over and wipes it off. "I can see already that you have a thing for sweets."

"Maybe…" Arizona says, smiling.

"I don't think there is a maybe to it," Callie says, laughing as she takes her first bite. "Oh God, Arizona…" Callie says with her mouth full

That's it. Arizona knows she will gladly order this every day for Callie if that's what she wants.

"Yep… definitely an orgasm involved there," Callie whispers after that bite, causing Arizona to burst out laughing.

They finish their cannoli amidst small talk and Arizona goes to check on Katie one more time. Heading back to the couch, Callie asks how she looks.

"She looks good. So…" she says as she gets situated and takes her shoes off. "where did you get the name Katherine from?"

"Oh, it wasn't my first choice, that's for sure. But George's grandma was very sick at the time and he wanted to name Katie after her. I agreed because she had always been very kind to me, unlike the rest of his family."

"Sorry to hear they were like that."

"I dealt with it. Katherine was named after a wonderful lady though. She passed away two months later. So she at least got to see Katie."

During the evening as it became later and later, Arizona pulls the blanket over and covers their legs as they continue to talk. They were getting to know each other, telling stories and laughing. And that is how they came to spend the night falling asleep beside each other on the couch.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Callie slowly stirs as she hears someone come in the room. When she stirs, so does Arizona, since Arizona has her head laying on Callie's shoulder.

"Good morning ladies," Amelia says, looking at the two and smirking. "Looks like you two are being sleepyheads today."

"What time is it?" Arizona asks, looking at her watch.

"Seven. I am getting ready to start rounds. Thought I would check in here first."

Looking over at Callie, who seems to be still half asleep, Arizona stands and straightens her clothes out and runs her fingers through her hair to tame it down a little bit. "I can't believe I slept that long. I'm usually about always up before now."

"Yeah, well, you probably aren't usually that comfortable. The funny thing is, you were in a very uncomfortable position," Amelia says smirking. "Your neck will hurt the rest of the day."

Smiling, Arizona looks over to Callie who is standing up and getting herself situated. "Yeah, I would probably agree, but it's so worth it."

"So, how about we take a look and see how our girl is looking this morning," Amelia says, pulling up her tablet.

"There should be new labs in there. I put in for them to come in early this morning and draw for them. Surprised I didn't hear them," Arizona says.

"Well, let's see if they have things posted yet." Amelia looks with Arizona moving to stand by her, looking over her shoulder.

"Well, she has tolerated the surgery well. No increase in white counts."

"Do you look at the antibody tests regularly to monitor any improvement there?" Callie asks.

"We do. But it is still early. She has such a high number that I think it will take a week or so to see much difference. There is a lot that we are trying to fix in her tiny body right now, and it won't happen overnight. So, it might take a week or two, but, it might not. It just all depends on her."

"It's just hard waiting. I want it to work right this second but I know that it will take some time."

"You are correct. Hang in there… Arizona has this under control so I will stop back by in the morning unless you need me before then."

"Thanks Amelia," Callie says, shaking her hand before Amelia leaves.

When Amelia leaves, Callie sits down by her daughter and sighs.

Arizona watches her for a minute before moving to kneel beside her. "I know it is frustrating and you wish we had more definitive answers. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You have done more than anyone. I just feel like we are so close to a breakthrough, and it is hard just waiting."

"I know. I suggest we read to her. A lot. And talk. Even if we are talking to each other. We need to talk. She needs to hear that we are here. And we need to keep exercising her. I have PT scheduled to come a few times a day. And it's a good idea if you and I do some while we are in here with her as well. The more we get her moving, the better off she will be. It might spark a connection or something."

"I hope so," Callie says, watching her daughter.

"Well, maybe we can take turns reading this morning. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good. But, you know you don't have to stay in here. If there are things you need to do, I don't expect you to stay here the whole time."

"Are you trying to get rid of me already?" Arizona asks, smiling.

"What? No… I just, I don't want you to feel like you have to stay here."

"I don't feel like that. I like being here. For you and for Katie. Now… I forgot to show you last night, but I went and did some quick shopping ," Arizona says, walking over to the cart. Pulling a bag from it, she carries it back to Callie. "Here."

"What's this?" Callie asks as she looks in the bag.

"Some clothes. I know I didn't pack enough and needed a few things. I figured you were in the same boat, so I grabbed some things that I didn't necessarily need to know your exact size for. I just bought us some lounge clothes… leggings and a few comfy sweatshirts. And I don't know about you, but I like mine a little roomy. So, I kind of guessed and got yours the same way. But, if you don't like them or if they just don't fit, I can take them back and exchange them. I mean, it doesn't matter. You won't hurt my feelings if…"

Standing up, Callie surprises Arizona by cutting her off with a kiss. It is just a small kiss but serves the purpose of stopping Arizona's rambling. Pulling away from the kiss, Callie sees Arizona smile. "Sorry. You just didn't seem to be stopping any time soon."

"Well, I mean, I might ramble more if you always cut me off that way," Arizona stays as she leans in to give Callie another kiss.

"Then I look forward to stopping you. Because I know we have only done that a few times, but I really enjoy kissing you," Callie says.

"Oh, me too. So please… feel free to do that anytime," Arizona says, smiling at the brunette.

The two women are interrupted by a man walking through the door. "Dr. Robbins…"

"Dr. Hanson, how are you?" Arizona asks, when she sees the man who used to be her boss.

"I'm fine. Actually, can we talk for a moment? Privately?"

Confused as to what's going on, Arizona agrees and follows him outside, after telling Callie she will be right back. "Let's actually go down the hall. I think you would rather have this conversation in private."

"Ok…"Arizona says, confused. She follows him down the hall and into a conference room. Once inside, she turns to look at the man. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Actually, we have had a complaint filed that you are becoming _involved_ with a patient's mother. And I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's Katie's mom. Am I correct?"

"Are you kidding me?" Arizona asks, in disbelief.

"No. I'm not. You care to explain?" Dr. Hanson asks.

Arizona starts shaking her head. "You know what... I'm not doing anything wrong. I knew Callie before Katie became a patient. My relationship with her in whatever form it is, started before Katie was brought here. I will not refuse to acknowledge that relationship because some nurse is jealous. Unless it has changed, hospital policy was always that you couldn't form relationships with patients or families. It says nothing about an existing relationship, and although frowned upon to be involved in a case you are personally involved, I can keep Katie's care professional. I have already made arrangements for Beth to take over if there are decisions I'm not capable of making or if Callie becomes uncomfortable. And you don't have to admit it to me, but I can already tell you that Julie is the one who complained because Julie came onto me, in front of a patient no less, after I already told her to knock it off. So, if you want to reprimand someone, I'd say you need to be reprimanding her. She said, and I quote, "If there is anything you _need_ , let me know." There is nothing professional about hitting on another employee right in front of a patient, or in this case, a patient's family member."

"So, let me get this right. You and Katie's mom had a relationship before her daughter became a patient?"

"Yes."

"And Beth is prepared to take over if things get to where you are incapable of making decisions, so that means Beth was aware?"

"Yes. I hid nothing from her."

"Ok. And for the record, are you just informing me about Julie or are you filing an official complaint?"

Taking a second to think about it, Arizona says, "You know what. I think I am going to file an official complaint. She had already done it once, and I told her to stop. Then to say that with the innuendo that she did, in front of a patient's family member, was very unacceptable. It put me in a very uncomfortable position and I don't appreciate it."

"Ok. Then you will need to stop in HR in bit and make sure it is in writing. For the record though, I will be making Beth stay on top of this case. She will be told if you are letting your personal relationship interfere in any way, she is to take over."

"That's not a problem sir. I wouldn't expect any less."

"Ok, then. I'll let you get back. And off the record, I hope you do file that complaint. She makes passes at more employees than I can count, but nobody files anything. We can't stop it if nobody officially complains."

Walking back into Katie's room, she stops to listen as Callie talks to her. It's becoming a habit of both of them, to just sit and watch the other.

"Katie, I know you can probably hear me. I need you to know that I love you, so much. And I know you are probably so scared, but I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere. I guess I should probably call Addie and have her cancel appointments indefinitely for now. Because I can't be two hours away from you. And you need to he hear for your treatments. Not every hospital does them. So, you need to be here. So, I will probably pick a time to run home once a week and do laundry, then I'll be right back. Maybe I can run home before Arizona leaves this weekend, that way you aren't alone. I still really think you will like her. She is something else. I know I like her more and more, all the time."

Listening to Callie talk, Arizona quietly slips out of the room and heads to the nurse's station. She pulls up the treatment plan she has scheduled for Katie. After pondering the treatments for a few minutes, she pulls out her phone and sends a text. A few minutes later, her phone rings.

"Hey Mark," Arizona says, as she stands and walks to fine a quiet room to talk.

"Arizona, everything ok? Callie and Katie ok?"

"Yeah. No change. Everything is still the same. We have added a few meds to her treatment plan to try to speed things up a bit. So, just waiting right now."

"Ok. I was worried when I got your text."

"No. Nothing to worry about. But… I do have a favor. A big one."

"Ok, shoot."

"Well, I was listening to Callie talk to Katie. She plans on staying here indefinitely with Katie. Which is fine, I mean, she is more than allowed to do that. But she has come so far on opening her practice."

"Yeah, I knew she wouldn't leave. So I'm not surprised."

"Yeah. So it got me thinking. She is right when she said not every hospital is set up to administer these treatments. As of now, Katie has to stay here. Our local hospital, Carson Hospital isn't equipped for this."

"Right…"

"But, if they were, Katie could be transferred and receive treatment there. And Callie wouldn't have to go back and forth and have to put her practice entirely on hold."

"Ok… you want me to talk to her dad. Right?"

"Yes. Because I think if I asked, we wouldn't have to buy the equipment. I bet they would lease it to us, for the right amount."

"Well, you get to work on your end and I'll get to work on Papa Torres. We will see if we can get the girls home."

"Thank you, Mark."

"Anytime. This is exactly why I told you what I did. He won't say no. He is a multi-billionaire. This is pocket change to him. So… how are things going with you and Cal?"

Smiling, Arizona says, "Things are… great. She is actually going to give this a chance."

"I knew she couldn't hold out. Just, take care of her."

"I'll take care of them both." And Arizona knew she would. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, she definitely would.

"Good. Now, you go find out how much it would take to lease the equipment and I'll take care of her dad."

"Thanks Mark."

"No, thank you. I'll talk to you soon."

Deciding not to waste time, she heads to find Amelia and explains what she is thinking. Amelia makes a few calls and gives Arizona the information she needs. She gets back in touch with Mark and then makes a call to Carson Hospital back home. Because she has a working relationship with them, it doesn't take long to get the answer she wants. Calling Mark back, she lets him no everything is in order and she is just waiting on him.

When she finally gets back to Katie's room, her treatments have been started for the day.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be gone that long," Arizona says, walking closer to Callie, leaning in to give her a kiss.

"Is everything ok? That guy didn't seem to happy when he came in."

"Yeah, it was um… Julie trying to cause problems. She filed a complaint against me for being involved with a patient's family member."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I should never have said anything to her yesterday. I was out of line and got jealous and then got you in trouble… I'm so, so sorry."

"No, no, no. Stop right there. I told you last night, that was.. hot. And I really, really mean that. Jealous Callie can make an appearance any time," Arizona says, giving Callie a mischievous look. "I am not hiding this. Beth knew how I felt. It wasn't a secret and never will be. This is all on Julie. Ok?"

"But now you are in trouble…"

"No, I'm not. If a relationship has already been established before admittance, it is just frowned upon to keep providing care. So, after I explained, we are fine. Plus, I stopped by HR and filed a complaint against Julie, so she will be the one in trouble. That was beyond unprofessional of her last night. She should never have said what she did in front of you."

Callie turns to face Arizona and reaches down to grab her hands. "I almost hate to say it, but I'm almost glad. Because she kind of gave me the nudge I needed."

"Well,, if we are lucky, they will make sure she doesn't come in here."

Hearing her phone vibrate, she looks down and sees she has a text from Mark, confirming Callie's dad will pay to have the medical equipment sent to Carson Hospital.

Smiling, she looks at Callie. "So, I have some good news…"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Well, I hope you are ok with this. But I have arranged for Katie to be able to go back home and stay at the hospital there."

"What? Why? That's not… she needs to be here, Arizona."

"Only because we didn't have the medical equipment back home. But they are going to lend it to us. So, there is nothing they can do here that we can't do there."

"What?"

"We can take her back home. You can be with her as much as you want and still be close to home. I know we can't bring the village to her, but we can bring her to the village."

"Arizona, I can't believe you did this."

Not knowing whether she is happy about the option or upset, Arizona says, "Callie, you don't have to leave here. It was just an option. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed you would maybe want that. It's fine. She can stay here."

"No... that's not... I can't believe you went to the trouble of doing that. You are just... so amazing. I would love to be able to take her closer to home. And you would still be taking care of her?"

"As long as that's what you want. But, I have already spoken to their neuro and peds heads and they have agreed to consult as well. So, they will be up to speed if I need to step back. For any reason."

"Already planning your escape route?"

"No! No, that's not what I meant. I know I can be objective, but just in case... because Callie, I know it's early. I know we just agreed to take this slow, but my feelings for you and for Katie... I just, I can't explain it. So, I guess, yes, I'm planning an escape route, but not for the reasons you would think. Because I'm afraid I care so much, that maybe I won't be as objective as I need to be. And I want everyone on the same page if that were to happen."

"You are, kind of amazing. I keep waiting on the other shoe to drop. Because, I know you have your faults, but I'm just not seeing them yet."

"Oh, I definitely do. I won't lie," Arizona says, smiling. "And I'm sure Teddy, Mandy, and my mom would gladly spill it all if you asked."

"Well, I'm sure they are all things I can overlook."

"I hope so. I promise, I do have my faults. So, we can move her?"

"Yeah. We can move her."

"Awesome. Because I was dreading being away from you..." Arizona says, leaning in to give her a small kiss.

"Then where do we start?"

"Come on. We need to have you sign some things to get her transferred. Then Amelia said as soon as we do that, she will have someone gather up the equipment. She will have someone go ahead of us and meet with someone from Carson to make sure it is all ready for Katie."

"Thank you, Arizona."

"Not necessary. But, you are welcome. Now, let's go work on getting Katie moved..."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Moving Katie to Carson Hospital took a little longer than they thought it would. It is now Thursday evening and they are just getting settled in Katie's new room.

"Callie, Teddy just texted me and her and the girls were wanting to know when would be a good time to come visit."

"Oh. Um, anytime, I guess."

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah."

Walking over to where Callie is standing, she wraps both arms around her and rests her chin on Callie's shoulder. "How about I tell them maybe to wait until tomorrow and then maybe only one at a time?"

"Yeah. That sounds a little better."

"I know sometimes having a bunch of people all at once is a little overwhelming. Because people come with questions we don't always have answers for."

"You seem to know what I'm thinking sometimes before I know myself..."

"I'm just trying to put myself in your shoes. And that's probably how I would feel."

Callie reaches up and rests her hands carefully on top of Arizona's. "So, I might need to talk to Teddy or Mandy tomorrow and find out about those faults of yours, because I'm still not seeing any."

"Well, lucky me then. I don't want you changing your mind about me just yet."

"I don't think there's a chance of that happening."

"Are you hungry? I could and grab us something?"

"How about this... I'll let you grab us something if you promise you will go home for a little bit tonight."

"Well, how about I grab us something and then we will talk about it?"

"You are going to be stubborn about this, aren't you?"

"I'm not trying to be. But I just... I want to be here."

"Go grab some food, then we will talk about it."

While Arizona is grabbing some food, Callie takes a minute to call her dad and let him know Katie has been moved. "Hey dad.."

"Calliope. How are things going?"

"They are good. I just wanted to let you know we moved Katie back to Carson."

"Well, I'd hope so. That's what we wanted."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when Mark called, that was the plan. That's why I paid to rent the equipment."

"Wait... Mark called you?"

"Yeah. I thought you knew."

"No. I didn't know you knew anything about it. You... paid to rent the equipment? It wasn't a loan?"

"Oh, no. We have it rented for as long as you need it. I might just buy it though."

"So, Mark asked you to do that?"

"Yes. He said that new doctor that Katie has arranged it all. He said she was from Carson and wanted her closer to home. That way she could manage her care better."

"Did he say anything else?" At this point, Callie is a little concerned that her best friend might have told her dad something she isn't ready for him to know."

"No... that's about it. Why? Is there something else I need to know?"

"Not at all daddy. I um, I need to go," Callie says as she sees Arizona walk back in. "I need to grab some dinner while it's hot."

"Ok. Your mother is busy this weekend, but I actually have some free time on Sunday. I might fly in for a visit. It's been too long."

"Oh, you don't have to do that. I mean, I know your busy." Callie is having an internal debate on how hard to try to convince her dad not to come for the visit right now.

"Usually I would agree. But… I will plan on seeing you Sunday if nothing changes."

"Dad… really, you could just wait and maybe she will wake up. You can come then."

"I can do both, Calliope. Let me know if you need anything. I love you both and I'll see you Sunday."

"I love you too, dad."

Hanging up the phone, Callie sighs. If she wasn't stressed out enough, now she has to worry about a visit from her father.

"Everything ok?" Arizona asks, as she hands Callie a container of food.

"Oh, just… peachy."

"So I take it you don't want your dad to visit?"

"Oh, it's not that I don't want him to, it's just, there's a lot going on."

Nodding, Arizona pulls a chair over closer to Callie.

"Sooo… you didn't tell me my dad is the one footing the bill that allowed us to bring Katie here."

"Um, yeah."

"Yeah. My question is, why didn't you tell me?"

"Are you mad?"

"Not mad. But I kind of wished you would have talked to me about it. I mean, I'm grateful for him doing it, but sometimes if he has a hand in something, he thinks that it gives him some kind of say in the matter. It's like, he sees it as a license to interfere. Does that make sense?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it would be a problem. Mark is the one who told me if we needed anything to let him know, and he would talk to your dad. He said money wouldn't be an issue and if it was for you and Katie, he would do whatever needs done. But he also said sometimes you don't like to ask your dad for things, so I assumed it was because you're independent. I didn't think about there being other reasons. I'm sorry."

"I should have known Mark would be behind it."

"Callie, Mark was just looking out for you. And I thought this would be easier. Especially on you. It's stressful enough to go through this, let alone being hours away from home. If you guys are here, like a said, you have a village to help you. I didn't want you to be alone, Callie. I'm sorry though, I should have talked to you first. I just assumed Mark knew you well enough to know what you would be ok or not ok with. I really am sorry," Arizona says, as she sits her food container down, afraid Callie is upset with her.

"I know Mark means well, but he doesn't always look at things from my perspective. I'm just worried my dad will come here this weekend and make a big deal about what he thinks I should be doing with my daughter."

"I'll make sure I don't do anything like that again. I didn't mean to potentially put you in a spot."

"Like I said, I'm not mad. I know you didn't know. You were just trying to do what was best for us. But, in the future, I would rather you run things by me before asking my dad."

"Ok. I can do that."

"Well, you need to pick that container back up and eat before it gets cold."

"Yeah, it probably won't be that good the way it is…" Arizona says, laughing.

"So, it looks like you are going to meet my dad."

"It looks that way," Arizona says, as she watches Callie pick at her food. She has an idea of what else might be going through Callie's mind, she just isn't sure how to ask about it.

"He is a loving dad, but a protective dad."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Sometimes."

"Callie, I know you are worried enough about Katie and now you are worried your dad might try to put his two cents in. But I have a feeling you are now worried about me and your dad. I know we are new and if the circumstances were different, I wouldn't want to be hidden. But, in this case, I think I need to just be Dr. Robbins this weekend. It will give you a little breathing room and when Katie is better, then you can tell him. But I don't want to make this weekend more stressful on you."

"It's not fair to you to do that."

"Callie, this is more than just you telling your dad about me. This is you coming out to your dad, period. And I have been there. It can be a daunting thing to come out to your family. This needs to be done on your time. Not because he happens to be coming here this weekend. So please, just wait."

"I don't want to hide you, Arizona."

"You aren't. You are just waiting for a little bit. That's all."

"It seems like it. I just, I know it will cause an argument right now. My parents are catholic and I know they aren't going to approve. I just, I'm torn. Because even though you are telling me you are ok with me waiting, I just… it doesn't feel right."

"Am I Katie's doctor?"

"Yeah."

"Did we know each other before this so we can at least say we are also friends?"

Laughing, Callie says, "I don't know that we were ever friends. I think you and I both know it was always supposed to be more than that."

"I'm not disagreeing. But, I still think we can go with me being Katie's doctor and your good friend. Because I love spending time with you. Talking to you, getting to know you… I hope if this works out, that we do become not only whatever is meant to be, but that we also become best friends. Because I think that's how it should be. That whoever you are with, that when everything else is taken away, that there is a friendship there. I want that for us."

"Wow. When you get going, you really put it all out there, don't you?"

"I'm sorry. That was probably too much. I didn't mean to freak you out. Especially over cafeteria food."

"Arizona, there is no 'freaking out here'. I think we both look at it the same way. So, as long as you are ok with it, I'll let you be Dr. Robbins this weekend. But, when Katie is better, I promise we will tell him."

"I'm ok with that. Because, you know why?"

"Why?

"Because, if you are telling me we will tell him when she is better, it makes it sound like you might keep me around for a little while. And I like the thought of that."

"Yeah. Maybe."

"Maybe?'

"Yeah, maybe. Maybe I need to get your lasagna included in this deal at least once a week or something," Callie says, smiling.

"Callie…the way you moaned when you tried it, I will make it for you anytime." Arizona says with a smirk.

"I didn't moan…"

"Oh, good lord, yes you did."

"Arizona… that was a few weeks ago. Really… you remember what I did when I took a bite? Yeah, right."

"Callie, I could say something but your daughter is probably listening. I don't think you want me to say what I really want to say right now, so remind me to tell you when there aren't little ears listening."

Smiling, Callie nods. "Fair enough. But… I do want some of that lasagna soon. Especially now that we are back home and you have a kitchen close by. Which, you should be getting home to. You have spent the last five nights on a crappy couch. You should really go home and get some rest. A good night's rest."

"I don't want to leave. I took the week off and I would really rather stay with you."

"Arizona, you are going to go back to work exhausted next week, and it will be all my fault. I don't want that to happen. So go home, get some rest, and come back tomorrow."

"Well, I could argue the same about you and how you need a good night's rest. If she were to open her eyes, you don't want to miss it because you are exhausted."

"I'm not leaving. I can't."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do," Callie says, looking down at her now empty hands. Neither she nor Arizona ate much of their food and both sat their containers on the table a while ago.

"Then let's compromise. Let's read to her and spend some more time here with her. In a little bit, I will order a pizza since neither of us ate, and then you and I will both go down the hall to the on-call room, where there will be nothing going on other than eating pizza and sleeping. And we will both get a good night's rest and be back in here first thing in the morning."

"Arizona, what if she…"

"Callie. Even if you stayed in here, you would still be asleep. You would still miss whatever is going to happen. The nurses will know where to find us. I promise. And I promise I will keep my hands to myself. But, I understand if you don't want to leave. I just think it would benefit you to get some sleep. This is just the beginning of a long road. You need to pace yourself. But, it's whatever you want to do. I'll understand either way."

"Ok."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Really. So, where are those books? Because I'm pretty sure four-year-olds can roll their eyes when they get tired of listening to old people talk."

"Speak for yourself. I'm not old."

"Well, that's kind of subjective…"

Arizona stands up, grinning. "Let me grab some books. I'll be right back."

After spending a few more hours reading to Katie and talking about just anything, Arizona convinces Callie to go ahead and leave for the night, with the promise to return first thing in the morning. Arizona places a call for the pizza and then grabs their stuff. She leads Callie to the on-call room and leaves, so that Callie can get changed, then she goes to grab the pizza from the lobby and pick up some drinks.

When she walks back in, Callie is already changed and sitting on the bed, with her legs criss-crossed. "You know, at some point we need to go back to healthier foods. This greasy food you have been giving me this week is spoiling me."

"What? You mean you never eat pizza?"

"No. I do, just not five times a week," Callie says, laughing. "You eat like a professional college student."

"Yeah, I should probably do better. To be fair, I usually do eat better than this though."

Sitting down by Callie, Arizona kicks her shoes off and opens the pizza box, digging right in. "Oh, I needed this. That crap from earlier was awful."

"Yeah, it kinda was," Callie agrees, chuckling.

The women eat about half of the pizza and then set it off to the side. Callie scoots back up to the top of the bed and rests her back against the headboard. "That was good. Not as good as we had the other night, but it was good."

"The next time we go back to the city, we will have to order another one."

"Sounds good," Callie says,

"I need to change. I'll be right back." Arizona hops up and heads to the bathroom. She gets changed and makes her way back out to find that Callie has already pulled the covers down and climbed in.

"Are you sure, Callie?"

Callie doesn't answer, but pulls the covers back for Arizona to get in. Arizona nods and then makes her way to the bed. For some reason, she is more nervous about just laying beside Callie than she has ever been about actually sleeping with someone. She smiles to herself at how different this is, and how happy it makes her.

"What?" Callie asks, watching as Arizona makes her way over and climbs into bed.

"I'm just… nervous."

"You? Nervous about sleeping with a woman? Huh. I think that should be the other way around here…" Callie chuckles.

As Arizona gets settled, she takes a deep breath. "You aren't just any woman, Callie," Arizona says, rolling onto her side to face the brunette. She takes her hand and rests it on Callie's face. "You are the most amazing woman. You, you are unbelievably strong. You are a wonderful mom. You are an amazing doctor… and I know because I read more about you after you moved here."

"What?"

"Hey. I was intrigued by you. You were all... telling me off and stuff and unbelievably hot doing it. I was just, mesmerized by you."

"You sure didn't act like it," Callie chuckles. "You were so… cocky? And then, I loved to aggravate you. Do you know when you get flustered, you wrinkle your nose?"

"No I don't," Arizona tries to deny.

"You do. And I just couldn't get enough of it," Callie says, reaching up to touch the spot on her nose, where she wrinkles it. "Right there…"

"You don't know what you are talking about."

"There it is!" Callie says, touching the small wrinkle and laughing.

Arizona reaches up to grab Callie's hand and brings it to her mouth to kiss it. "You have a beautiful laugh. I haven't gotten the chance to hear much of it, but it's the most amazing laugh I have ever heard."

"You know… I would ask if you are always this cheesy, but I don't think that is the case. Is it?"

"No. It's never been my thing. I've never been with someone who made me want to be… cheesy."

"You are so different than the bossy, irritable woman I first met."

"I'm glad you can finally see a different side of me. Roll over."

"What?"

"Roll over, please?"

Smiling, Callie shakes her head but does as she was asked. "See, still bossy," Callie says laughing.

"Well, type A personality here. It does come with the territory," Arizona chuckles. "I know I said I would keep my hands to myself, but is it ok if I hold you? I don't have to…"

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Callie says, as she reaches behind her and pulls Arizona's arms around her.

"Mm…" Arizona says, scooting in a little closer. "I could get used to this."

Sighing, Callie learns back into Arizona a little more, leaving no space between them. "Me too," Callie says, quietly.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I've just, never slept with a woman. This feels… different."

Arizona isn't sure where she is going with this and starts to get a little nervous. "A good different or bad different?" she asks, quietly.

"Definitely good." Callie ponders how to say what she is thinking though. She decides getting to the point is just going to be easier. "Arizona, it isn't exactly a secret that you are used to… _more_ , when you are with someone. And I don't mean that in a negative way. But, I can't promise when I will be ready to take that next step. So, please be patient with me."

"Callie... Don't do that. Don't compare this to anything else I've had before. Because I can tell you that this _is_ different, but in a _wonderful_ way. And I couldn't be more grateful for that. I would be lying if I said I didn't find you absolutely beautiful and that I look forward to that. But… I'm not in a hurry. Because I really think this is worth waiting for. Every part of you is worth waiting for. Laying here, like this, with you, is more fulfilling to me than anything else."

"Thank you. And for the record, I find you beautiful too."

"We will wait as long as we need, for you to be ready."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me, Callie."

As the women start to drift off, Arizona has a thought pop into her head. "So, your real name is Calliope?"

"Um, let's not talk about it…" Callie mumbles, sleep starting to overtake her.

"I like it. It's beautiful. Just like you."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

When Callie opens her eyes, the first thing she notices are the pale arms that are still wrapped around her. She looks at her watch and realizes it is almost six-thirty. She tries to scoot over so she can sit up, but Arizona tightens her hold on the brunette.

"Mm, where you going?" Arizona mumbles out, still half asleep.

"I was going to get up and go check on Katie," Callie says, leaning back into Arizona.

"What time is it?" Arizona mumbles.

"Almost six-thirty. You can stay and get some more sleep. You don't have to come with me right now."

"No, I'll come with you," Arizona says, leaning in a little closer to place a kiss behind Callie's ear, causing the brunette to giggle. "Why are you laughing? Arizona asks, wondering what she did that was funny.

"You kissed my neck. I happen to be pretty ticklish right there," Callie admits, pulling Arizona's arms tighter around her.

"Well, that's good to know," Arizona smiles. "I'm sure that will come in handy."

"I can see now I will regret telling you that," Callie says, as she pulls one of Arizona's hands up to kiss it.

"You know, I don't know why you would think that," Arizona says, giggling.

"Call it a hunch…" Callie says. Arizona can't see her face, but knows she is smiling.

"Do you want to grab a shower now or later?"

"Um, maybe I can go check in on her while you shower and then I can come back and take one."

"Ok. That sounds like a plan. I guess I should let you up, huh?" Arizona asks, holding onto Callie a little tighter, not wanting this moment to end.

"Probably. If not, I don't know that we will move for a while."

"Just for the record, that is the best night's sleep I have had in forever. I thought I slept good with you on the couch, but it doesn't even compare to this. I l loved having you in my arms."

Pulling back enough to have room to maneuver, Callie rolls over to face Arizona and smiles as she places her hand on Arizona's face. "Just for the record, that's the best night's sleep I've had in a while too. I don't think we moved all night."

"Now that we know the key to a good night's sleep, I think we need to do more of that," Arizona says, rubbing her hands up and down Callie's back.

"Are you already making a case to get me back in bed with you?"

"Is it working?" Arizona asks, showing her dimples.

"Perhaps. I mean, I don't want to seem easy and give in right away. But I think you are on the right track to convincing me."

"Well, what else would I need to do to convince you?"

"Hm, I don't know. Maybe if you promised a kiss or two, that would seal the deal?"

"Oh, Calliope... I can promise that and even give you a preview," Arizona says, leaning in to give Callie a small kiss.

"Wait...," Callie says after the kiss. "You know, you can really stick with Callie. I was hoping you would just overlook that little detail."

"Not a chance. I rather like it. Now, before I decide not to let you up at all, I'm going to go grab a shower and let you check on Katie," Arizona says, letting go of Callie and getting up to head to the bathroom. She knows the brunette must be anxious to check on her daughter, and doesn't want to keep her much longer.

Getting up as well, Callie slips on her shoes. "I'll be back in a few. I just want to make sure she is ok."

After checking on Katie and finding out nothing changed overnight, she decides to grab some coffee and take it back to Arizona. They both seem to need it in the mornings. As she walks in, Arizona is standing with nothing but a towel, leaned over her bag that is on the bed. "Oh, sorry... I'll just," Callie says, pointing to the door as she tries to turn around quickly.

"It's ok, Calliope. I just forgot my bag out here. I'll go back to the bathroom," Arizona says, amused by the brunette, as she turns around to see Callie trying to look at everything but her. She lays her clothes back down and makes her way over to stand in front of her.

"Is one of those for me?" Arizona asks, trying to look Callie in the eyes.

"Um, uh huh. Yeah. They are, um, both the same," Callie says, holding them both up, still not making eye contact with Arizona.

"How is Katie?"

"No change. Still the same," Callie says, looking at the ceiling.

"I didn't figure there would be any change yet," Arizona says. "But, we never know…"

"I know," Callie says, disappointedly, still not looking at her.

"I'm completely covered, Calliope. You can look," Arizona says, leaning down to try to catch her eyes.

"Well, I um, I just... I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable," Callie says, now slowly turning to look at Arizona. The sight before her confirms just what she expected... That Arizona is a beautiful woman. She can't help but watch a water droplet as it runs down her cheek, onto her neck, then continue to make its way down to Arizona's chest and then disappear into the top of the towel that is tucked neatly around her.

Arizona grabs one of the coffee cups and grins. Callie might not realize it, but she now can't take her eyes off the sight that's before her. Arizona takes a small step closer and leans in close to Callie's ear. "Thanks for the coffee," she says, as she takes a step back to see Callie blushing.

"Yeah. Um, no... no problem." Callie still can't take her eyes off the blonde before her. She watches as another water droplet follows almost the same path as the last one, and for some reason, she can't help but to reach out with her finger and stop it, just before it reaches the top of the towel.

"You... You're beautiful," Callie whispers, sending chills down Arizona's arms. She lets her finger rest just above the top of the towel, before she runs her hand up over Arizona's neck and lets her eyes follow her hand, taking in every inch of Arizona.

As her hand stops on Arizona's cheek, she runs her thumb back and forth for a minute, letting her brown eyes stop on the blue eyes in front of her. Arizona's eyes are a somewhat darker shade than what she has seen them before.

"You are so beautiful. Every part of you," Callie says, as her eyes drift town towards the towel. For a second, she wonders what lies under the towel. "I could look at you all day…"

"I feel the same about you," Arizona whispers. Any other time, Arizona knows exactly what she would do in this situation, but isn't about to push Callie right now. It needs to be on Callie's terms, when Callie is ready.

"I should... go, um, get dressed. I'll be out in a minute," Arizona says, needing to get away from the brunette before she does something that makes Callie uncomfortable.

Nodding, Callie watches her head to the bed to grab her clothes and then disappear into the bathroom.

Callie takes a deep breath. She has never had feelings like this in her life and they are almost consuming her.

A few minutes later, Arizona comes out dressed, carrying her pajamas and her coffee. Sitting down on the bed beside Callie, she decides to steer the conversation towards safer places.

"How was Katie? Any change?"

"Um, no. None."

"Well, I'll finish getting ready out here while you take a shower and then I'm going to head back and look over her labs from this morning. I'll meet you there?"

"Yeah. Sounds good," Callie says, standing up and grabbing her bag. As she opens the door to head in, she turns back around as Arizona is reaching for her toothbrush to walk over to the sink. "You are just… so beautiful. Inside and out," Callie says.

"Thank you. Not as beautiful as you though…"

Callie just shakes her head and smiles, then continues to go take her shower.

Later that day, after treatments have taken place, the two women are taking turns reading to Katie when they hear a quiet knock on the door. "Hey guys, is now a good time?"

"Hey, Addie! Come on in."

As Addie makes her way in, you can tell she is somewhat taken aback by the little girl being hooked up to so much. Callie is used to the reaction which is why she wasn't crazy about everyone coming at the same time for the first visit.

"Hey," Callie says, giving Addie a hug. "It's good to see you. Thanks for coming."

"We have missed you. We were so glad to hear you were bringing her back home."

"Yeah, I think I'm glad to be closer. I didn't realize how much I had gotten used to being around you guys. I missed you too."

Arizona knew they would have company today, so she made sure to have some extra chairs brought in. "Come on and have a seat," Callie says, looking at Addie.

"She is beautiful, Callie. She looks just like you."

"Thanks," Callie says. "She does look a lot like me."

"So, we probably should talk about next week... I don't know how I can be there. I think we need to push everything back another week," Callie says, looking at her hands.

"We can do whatever you want us to do," Addie says.

"Actually... I have an idea," Arizona pipes up. "I know your initial reaction will be to tell me no, but, I really need you to hear me out first."

Callie raises an expectant eyebrow but says, "Ok..."

"So, here's the thing. I would prefer to check on her first thing in the mornings. I would also like to be here to make sure her treatments get started and there are no problems. So... why don't I just change my hours a little... which isn't a problem, because I'm the boss," Arizona winks. "I can maybe just scoot my hours back and stay with her in the morning, make sure there are no problems, you can go to work and get things off the ground and not have to cancel everything. Then you can come spend the rest of the day with her and then I'll go to work. Then, I'll come back in the evenings. What do you say?"

Callie looks at her for a moment before shaking her head. "I can't let you do that."

"See, this is what I'm talking about. I knew you would say no. Calliope, it works perfectly. Teddy and Mandy will love me for it. They can sleep in and you get to work a little."

"Arizona, I appreciate the offer. I do. But I just can't let you do that."

"I want to Calliope. And I also know you don't want to leave. I understand that. But a few hours a day will make for a happier, healthier mommy. You will lose patients you don't even technically have yet if you keep rescheduling. You want your practice to succeed for not only you, but for Katie too. We can work together to make this work."

"Arizona, you can't keep rearranging your schedule."

"I'm my own boss, Calliope. I can't get fired. I'm still seeing patients. I'm just changing things up a little. And, it's only temporary. Because we are hoping good things happen soon," Arizona says, giving Callie her dimpled smile.

"I don't know... I don't want to leave her."

"I know. You are a wonderful mom. You love you daughter and you want the best for her and you don't want to miss anything. Callie, if something big happens, I can almost guarantee we will know it's coming. We will see small signs beforehand. I'll make sure you are here. I promise."

Callie contemplates it for a minute before she finally says, "Ok. But you have to promise you will call if anything happens."

"You have my word. It's only a few hours a day. We can do this," Arizona says, smiling.

Addie has sat and observed the whole thing, not saying much. She is quick to notice the ease in which they talk to each other now. She can tell things have changed between them, but decides not to say anything for the time being. "So, you want me to keep morning hours for now? Say maybe eight until eleven? Then you have time to be here at noon and then you two can switch off?"

"Sounds perfect to me," Arizona adds quickly, before Callie has too much time to think about it.

"Um, Arizona, are you sure?"

"Very sure. We can do this," Arizona says nodding.

"Ok," Callie says. "That's what we will do then."

The women sit and talk for a little while until Teddy walks in. Addie takes that as her cue to leave. "So, I will head back to the office and get that taken care of. You might want this lady to do the same," Addie says pointing to Teddy as the other two notice her standing there.

"Hey Teds!" Arizona says.

"Hey. What do I need to take care of?"

Arizona explains it to her and Teddy looks at Addie, while Addie just smiles. "Ok. I have to say, I'm glad to do it. I'd love to sleep in a little."

Laughing, Arizona looks to Callie, "See, I told you."

"You did..." Callie chuckles. "You definitely called it."

"I so did," Arizona nods.

"Ok... Ladies I'll see you later. I'm going to head in and prioritize who we see and who we reschedule," Addie says as she heads for the door.

"Thanks for coming, Addie," Callie says, waving.

"No problem. I'll try to get back in here sometime this weekend."

They all say their goodbyes, as Teddy takes the seat that Addie just left.

"She is beautiful. She looks so much like you," Teddy says.

"Thanks," Callie nods.

Arizona chuckles, "You must hear that a lot," she says, turning to look at Callie. "But I will totally agree. I think you are both beautiful."

Callie blushes and Teddy looks on, amused. She can also see that things have definitely changed between the two.

"So, how is Katie? Any change so far?"

"Not yet. We are trying to get the nerves and muscles talking again. I think it's just a matter of time."

"Hopefully it works soon..." Teddy says, looking over at Katie. When she turns back to the women, they are both looking at each other. She watches for a minute and both of them seem to forget that Teddy is even there. "So, Arizona, it's Friday night. You have any plans tonight?"

"I'm staying here," Arizona says.

"Mandy and I are going to go to Jax if you want to come with us," Teddy says, knowing that Arizona isn't about to leave here. She just wants to see how the two women will react.

"No. I'm good here," Arizona says, giving Teddy a look.

Callie watches her and has a sense of guilt wash over her. "You can go Arizona. You don't need to stay here all night."

"Calliope, I don't want to go. I'm good here."

"Really, you should go. I don't want you to put everything on hold. You need to spend time with your friends."

"I'm with them all the time, Calliope. I want to be here tonight." Deciding to change the subject, she looks at Teddy, who is smirking. She realizes Teddy mentioned going out tonight on purpose and gives her a glare. "You're an ass."

"Maybe. I could tell things have changed. I just wanted to see your reaction," Teddy smirks, as Callie watches them, somewhat surprised Teddy picked up on something. "And... I got what I was looking for. So, now we are on the same page," Teddy says smiling. "This also means I win 50 bucks."

"What are you talking about?" Arizona asks.

"Mandy, Addie, and Christina and I... oh and the lady at the diner... We all had a bet to see how long it would take. I won. Another week and it would have been Christina."

"You bet on us?" Callie asks, surprised.

"Yeah. It was only a matter of time. It was guaranteed money for one of us," Teddy says, laughing.

"The lady at the diner?" Arizona asks. "Why in the hell is she in on it?"

"Because, we were having lunch and she remembered you two being in there. She wanted in on it."

"I can't believe you guys," Arizona says, looking back to see Callie's reaction.

"Yeah, well, you aren't going to want to hear about the other bet then."

"What do you mean?" Callie asks, this time.

"Oh, you know... just the normal bet that happens _afte_ r two people hook up." Teddy smiles, waiting on it to sink in. She knows that Katie may be able to hear, so she doesn't want to come right out and say it.

"Oh," Callie says, with her eyebrows scrunched. "OH!" Callie says, turning a deep shade of red.

"Teddy!" Arizona yells. "That's none of your..."

"Little ears..." Teddy says, smiling, pointing to Katie.

"I can't believe you," Arizona says, shaking her head. "Calliope... please don't pay attention to them."

Blushing, Callie smiles, then laughs, though her cheeks are tinged pink.

"Teddy, I need to get us some lunch. We never really got around to breakfast. Come with me, please..." Arizona decides that she needs to get Teddy out now, before she really makes Callie uncomfortable.

Arizona gets up, grabs Teddy by the arm and shoves her towards the door.

"Hey..." Teddy says, giving Arizona a look. "What are you doing? I was visiting with Callie!"

"I'll be back. Anything sound good?" Arizona asks as she walks closer to Callie.

"No. Just whatever. It is all about the same anymore," Callie chuckles.

Arizona nods, then leans down to give her a small kiss, which causes Callie to blush. I'll just be a few minutes."

Once in the hall, Arizona turns to look at Teddy. "Are you trying to scare her away?"

"What?"

"This is all new to her and you are taking bets on when we are going to sleep together! Knock it off!"

"Sheesh, sorry. You are never weird about it. I didn't think you it would bother you. It didn't seem to bother her."

"It's never bothered me before because it never mattered. This time it's about her though. It's different this time."

"Yeah... I can see that," Teddy says, smiling. "Just for the record, my money for that part of the bet was on next week. But I'll tell them the bet's off."

"You better, Teddy!

When Arizona arrives back to Katie's room, she smiles as she walks in. Callie is singing to Katie again. She absolutely loves to hear this woman sing and decides she could listen to that forever. Callie is facing away from her, so she walks in and leans down to give Callie a kiss on the cheek. "Hey pretty lady."

"Hey. I didn't hear you come in," Callie says, turning around. "Where's Teddy?"

"I made her leave."

Laughing, Callie says, "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did. I would end up strangling her at the rate she was going. I'm sorry they are like that."

"Arizona, it's fine. You don't need to walk on pins and needles when your friends are around. I'd like to think they are mine now too. And I don't care if they give us a hard time. Because... that's what friends do."

"I don't want you to get embarrassed."

"Look, when you were around Mark, he was on his best behavior. Give him time... He will be worse than they are."

"So, you aren't mad?"

"Because they are being your friends? No. And as far as the topic of their bets... I agree with them. The first bet was a sure thing for one of them to bet on. It was only a matter of time. And the second bet... Well, as much as I don't want everyone to know every little detail, I'm sure they will figure it out when it happens anyway."

Arizona can't help but smile.

"Why are you smiling?" Callie asks.

"Because... You didn't say if," Arizona says.

"What are you talking about?"

"You said, 'I'm sure they will figure out when it happens.' You didn't say 'if.' it happens," Arizona says, giving her a dimple popping smile.

Smiling, Callie looks down and then back up for their eyes to meet. "You're right. I didn't," Callie says, as she blushes.

Arizona gives her a smile as they share a look. "So... you ready to eat?"

"Honestly, I feel like that is all we have done. I think that I seriously need to go on a diet."

"Not necessary," Arizona says. "You are too perfect just the way you are."

"Such a smooth talker..." Callie says, laughing.

Later that day, trying and failing to get Arizona to leave for the night, Callie realizes the blonde is one stubborn woman. She finally agrees to go home at some point in the evening to do some laundry for both of them though. She isn't gone long and returns fairly quickly, bringing back clean clothes with her.

A while later, Callie starts to yawn. "Are you about ready to get some sleep?" Arizona asks, as she notices it is going on midnight.

"Yeah. It's been kind of a long day today."

"It has. Let me get these blankets folded while you tell her goodnight. Then we can head that way."

"You are pretty sure I'm going to agree to the same arrangements as last night, aren't you?" Callie asks, smiling.

"Well, I guess I was hoping so. I mean... I thought I made a pretty convincing case this morning," Arizona says, grinning.

"Let me tell her goodnight," Callie says, winking.

As Callie reaches down to pick up Katie's hand, something catches her eye, right before she picks her hand up. "Arizona!" Callie yells across the room.

"What? What's wrong?" Arizona spins around, letting the blanket she just folded fall onto the chair.

"Her finger... It, it, moved!"


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Arizona! She moved a finger. It was just a little bit, but she moved it!"

Arizona rushes over to Callie and watches as Callie picks up Katie's hand and places it flat in her own, holding to watch for any more movement.

"Mommy is right here honey, I'm right here. You moved your finger. I saw you move it. I'm so proud of you. Mommy is so proud of you. I'm right here with you."

Arizona moves to stand right next to Callie and places her hand on Callie's lower back as she watches Katie's hand intently, waiting for just any hint of movement. If Katie is moving her fingers at all, it is hopefully just the beginning of her regaining muscle control.

"There! I saw it!" Arizona says, as Katie's finger once again, moves just a little bit.

"Arizona," Callie says, as she breaks down into tears. "She… she…. she moved it…." Callie says, as she starts crying.

"I know, I saw! This… this is amazing Calliope. It's working. It's really, really working. I thought it would be too soon, but, it's really working," Arizona says, as she watches the hand intently. Having a thought cross her mind, she walks to the other side of the bed and reaches down for Katie's other hand. She does the same as Callie, and lays it flat on her own hand, and watches it as intently as they did the other. Movement from one hand doesn't mean there will be movement in the other, as the reconnection between muscle and nerves being restored will vary all over her tiny body.

"There… again…" Callie says, unable to take her eyes off the tiny hand in her own. "I can't believe it Arizona. It's not even just a twitch, she, she really moved it."

"I know. It's amazing, Calliope," Arizona says, so excited for the brunette and her little girl. She takes the hand in her own, and begins to move each finger, letting each one rest before she moves the next, just waiting to see if Katie might move one on her own.

Callie watches what Arizona is doing, then does the same, trying to encourage Katie to do it again. "Come on sweet girl, I know you can hear me. I know you can do it again…" Callie says, watching hopefully. She keeps encouraging her by talking and moving each finger, over and over.

"This does mean it's working, right?" Callie asks.

"Yeah. It means it's working," Arizona says, smiling.

The women continue to repeat what the are doing for over an hour. Finally, Arizona walks around and touches Callie's hand to stop her. "We should get some rest for the night."

"I'm staying here."

"Calliope, you can if you want, but she is on the same schedule we are. We talk so much during the day, that she probably listens to us, then sleeps when we do. She is going to be resting now. You should do the same."

"But what if it happens again?"

"Well, we hope it does," Arizona says smiling, and nodding her head. "And… we hope it _keeps_ happening. But, as much as you are afraid to miss something, even if you stay here with her, you need some sleep. So, if you prefer to stay here, we will stay here. Or, we can go sleep in a real bed, where you will probably be much more rested for tomorrow. Either way, you need some sleep, so that you are awake when she is awake tomorrow."

"I just… you're right. I'm afraid I will miss something."

"I know. I understand that. But I almost guarantee you, she is sleeping right now. And she would want you to sleep too, so that you can be awake when she is."

Not saying anything, but shaking her head in agreement, Callie reaches for Katie's hand. She takes her other hand, kisses it, then lightly touches Katie's forehead with it. She then grabs Arizona's hand and leads her over to grab their things. Still holding on to Arizona's hand, she leads them down the hall towards the same room they stayed in the previous night.

Sitting the bags down, Arizona suggests that Callie get ready first so she can let the nurse's on duty know to make more frequent checks on Katie throughout the night, and Callie agrees.

A few minutes later, Arizona comes back to find Callie still in the bathroom and hears water running. She sits on the bed and pulls her phone and charger out, plugging it in to find she has some texts from her mom, wondering what's been going on. She sends a quick text telling her mom she will call her tomorrow and explain, wondering what her mom will think of the fact that Callie has a daughter.

She gets lost in her thoughts and doesn't hear Callie come out of the bathroom. Callie walks over, and stands right in front of her. Instead of her usual sweats and shirt, she is stunned to see Callie wearing only the shirt. It is longer and has everything covered, but Callie's long tanned legs are exposed, causing Arizona's mouth to drop open.

"Hey, you ok?" Callie smirks, knowing what's going through Arizona's mind.

"Um…. Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Just… wow, you have… beautiful... legs," Arizona says, as she reaches out to touch the side of Callie's thigh.

"I, um, I was kind of warm and didn't want to put the sweats on. I hope that's ok?"

"Oh… that's… more than ok, Calliope," Arizona says, as she removes her hand and stands up. She puts her hand around Callie's waste, and brings her closer. "I think I should go get ready too," she whispers into Callie's lips, causing Callie to smile.

"I'll be right here. Waiting."

Arizona smiles as she grabs her bag and heads into the bathroom. She gets inside and decides that if Callie is nice and clean, she should probably do the same, so she decides to shower too. Hopping in the shower, she is out within a few minutes, and comes to the same conclusion Callie did. It's too hot for the pants. After brushing her teeth, she puts everything back in her bag and sits it on the floor.

Much like last night, when she walks out, Callie is already laying in bed, covered up. Arizona is a bit disappointed, because that means those beautiful tanned legs are covered up as well. "Hey," Arizona says, as she sees Callie look over towards her, her eyes making their way down to Arizona's legs.

"You were right, it's a little warm in here, especially after a shower," Arizona says, as she nears the bed. Callie doesn't say anything, just nods, and watches as Arizona sits down, then scoots under the covers, turning to face her.

"Are you ok?" Arizona asks, knowing that seeing her daughter move is pretty overwhelming.

"Yeah. It's just.. I have waited so long. And she finally… finally for the first time in over two years, moved. That's just… I can't believe it. I'm excited and nervous, all at the same time. Excited it's working but nervous she won't be able to do more. Does that make sense?"

"It does. But, we knew it wouldn't happen all at once. And, if she is moving already… that's good. I fully expected it to take at least another week or so, Callie. This just increases the potential for an even greater recovery. I think it's safe to be pretty optimistic now. I really do."

"Really?" Callie asks, reaching up to put her hand on Arizona's cheek.

"Really."

Callie leans in and kisses Arizona, tentatively at first, but soon, the kiss becomes more passionate and Arizona wraps her arms around Callie, pulling her closer. Callie lets out a small moan as she parts her mouth, waiting for Arizona to take advantage of, which she does.

Arizona pulls back for a minute, needing to know Callie is ok with this, that even if this is all they do, just kissing, that Callie is comfortable.

Looking into her eyes, Callie knows what Arizona is doing…. She is giving her a chance to stop and is letting her know she isn't forcing her to do something she isn't ready for. Callie responds by smiling, then leans in to continue where they just left off.

Arizona has kissed a lot of women in her life. Never have any been like this. The way Callie's lips feel, the little noises she makes, the softness of her skin… everything is just overwhelming. Before Arizona knows it, Arizona watches as Callie moves to now hover right above her. She surprises Arizona by seeming to want to take the lead, which Arizona is more than ok with.

Callie leans down and slightly presses herself against Arizona and begins kissing her. Arizona wraps both hands around her, pulling her down into her causing Callie to moan. Arizona takes that as her cue to move her hands slowly down Callie's back. She slowly moves her hands down over the front of her thighs, then moves them to the back of her legs, pulling her as close as she can get the brunette. Arizona loves the weight of another woman on top of her, and moans, causing Callie to do the same, once more.

After several minutes, Callie finds that Arizona is stronger than she thought, as she flips them over, now finding herself on the bottom. Arizona scoots slightly off to the side, as her hand makes it's way up to Callie's abdomen, as her shirt his risen up slightly, exposing her skin. Arizona looks down and moans when she sees the tanned skin peaking out, and she can't resist touching it.

"You are so beautiful, Calliope. I just… there are no words. You are just, stunning to me," Arizona says, as she leans down and continues to kiss Callie. Somehow, Arizona gets caught up in kissing Callie and seems to be unaware of what her hands are doing until she hears Callie gasp. Pulling back, Arizona realizes where her hand is at and begins to pull it away, when Callie's hand reaches up to grab it.

"Don't stop."

Arizona sees no hesitation on Callie's part and leaves her hand where it is, caressing Callie's breast as she continues to kiss the beautiful brunette. Arizona can feel Callie's hand getting bold, moving around and caressing more and more of her body. Suddenly, she feels one of Callie's hands on her breast, causing Arizona to moan. Callie is hesitant in her movements at first as she slowly squeezes, becoming emboldened by the sounds Arizona is making.

"Oh, god, Calliope… you feel so good," Arizona says, taking the brunette's lips in her own again.

"So do you…"

They continue like this for a while, kissing and exploring each others' bodies, when Arizona finally regains her bearing and slows things down. When she finally pulls back, she caresses the side of Callie's face, leaning back in for a few slower, less rushed kisses. "That was…"

"Amazing?" Callie asks.

"If you make me feel like this just from that… Calliope… I can't even… I just have no words."

"I could say the same thing. I've never felt so turned on in my entire life," Callie says, as she captures Arizona's lips in another passionate, but not rushed kiss.

Arizona studies Callie's face for a minute before she asks, "You, um, you weren't uncomfortable?"

"No. I don't think I could ever feel uncomfortable with you. You make everything… so easy Arizona. I don't know how you do it, but you do. Being close to you like this, it just… it feels like it's right where I'm supposed to be."

"I feel the same way. I just… I don't want to scare you or make you feel like I'm rushing. I am so happy, Calliope, and I am so afraid of rushing things and scaring you away. Please, you have to let me know if we are going too fast. I don't want to do anything that could ruin this."

"That's not going to happen. You couldn't be more patient and just… I couldn't ask for you to be any more perfect. Come here," Callie says, rolling to where Arizona can cuddle in with her. She holds Arizona, realizing that although Arizona is afraid of rushing things, that Arizona also needs reassured that Callie is really in this. "I'm not going anywhere," Callie says, as she kisses the top of Arizona's head.

"I'm glad," Arizona whispers, holding onto Callie.

XXXXXXX

The next morning, the women find themselves getting into a routine. With many more small touches and kisses, the women find themselves having coffee and donuts, deciding to watch some kids television, that has some singing and dancing.

After their breakfast, Katie is hooked up for her plasmapharesis treatment and the women begin doing what they did last night. They start with her hands, since that is where there was movement last night. Then, they both switch to the feet, working the foot and each toe, when Arizona gasps. "Callie…."

"Hm?" Callie says, looking over to see what she is talking about. When Callie looks, she can see Katie's two smallest toes, showing a tiny bit of movement. "That's it Katie, move those toes for Mommy and Arizona. Come on sweetie… you can do it…" Callie encourages, with one of the biggest smiles Arizona has ever seen. They wiggle again and the women laugh with joy at the progress they are seeing.

Callie makes her way to the top of the bed, and holds Katie's hands. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie. Mommy is right here… I love you so much."

Throughout the day, they never leave her side. With each movement, the two grow more excited. Teddy is allowed back in the room to bring them dinner that night. Arizona hasn't even wanted to leave so, she called Teddy for the food.

"So, she is doing a lot better today?" Teddy says, watching how excited Arizona and Callie are.

"Teddy… she has made huge improvements today. She has moved fingers and toes… several times. It's just amazing!" Arizona says, looking over at Callie.

Callie reaches over and grabs a hold of Arizona's hand and says, "It's all thanks to her. She is amazing…" Callie says, looking from Arizona to Teddy.

"Let's see what you think after you have been together a little longer."

"Teddy…" Arizona says, giving her a glare and causing Callie to laugh.

"Yeah, I told her I needed to talk to you to find out what her faults were. I can't seem to find any," Callie says watching Arizona cringe as Teddy bursts out laughing.

"Are you kidding? She has plenty. You are just blinded by looove," Teddy sing songs.

Arizona's eyes shoot to Teddy and then frantically shoot to Callie, worried Teddy just messed up. To her surprise, Callie just shrugs. "Well, that's why I need to talk to you, so you can give me the deets," Callie says, looking at Teddy expectantly.

Arizona can't help but wonder… surely Callie wasn't trying to imply Teddy was right? I mean… they have only been together less than a week. That's it. You can't think you love someone… in a week.

Callie and Teddy are carrying on a conversation that Arizona just tunes out. Does she have feelings for Callie? Yes. Does she love Callie? Arizona is brought out of her thoughts by Teddy.

"See… she isn't even denying it!" Teddy laughs, pointing at Arizona.

"Denying what?"

"Are you kidding? You weren't even paying attention?" Teddy asks, laughing.

"Oh, I guess I just zoned out…" Arizona says, shaking her head. "So, what am I not denying?"

"That you can't stand puppies. Who doesn't like puppies?"

"I have to admit…I'm surprised by that one. I figured you would go all giggly with a puppy."

"There is nothing to giggle about concerning a puppy. They make messes everywhere and ruin things. Totally not a fan."

"See… Who doesn't like puppies. And, you snore," Teddy says.

"Well, she hasn't snored the past couple nights. And we didn't have background noise to drown it out like we did in the room with Katie. So, I think I would have heard it. Especially last night," Callie says, not really thinking about what she was saying.

"Wait. You two have been sleeping together?"

"Oh. Um," Callie begins, realizing she let it slip.

"We have. In the on-call room. But it has _just_ been sleeping."

Smirking, Teddy says, "You _never_ just…"

"Teddy! Let it go," Arizona says, not missing the way Callie suddenly looks away.

Teddy realizes her mistake and starts to say something when Arizona starts shaking her head, telling her not to say anything.

Realizing she has once again said the wrong thing, she decides it might be time to leave. "Well, I think I better go. Mandy and I are meeting two guys we met last night. They were… hot." Teddy wiggles her eyebrows for emphasis on the word hot.

"Callie, I'm glad she is starting to improve. I know that has to be a huge relief."

"Yeah," Callie says, looking back over. "It is. Thanks for stopping by."

"Yeah, no problem. If you want, I can bring you guys some real food for dinner tomorrow."

"Oh, that's ok. My um, my dad will be here tomorrow."

Studying her for a second, Teddy says, "I'm assuming since this is new," pointing between her and Arizona, "that maybe your dad doesn't know yet?"

"No. And I am not going to tell him just yet."

"Then you," she says, pointing at Arizona, "may not want to be here when he comes. Because you two are too obvious. You will give it away in a heartbeat."

"No we won't," Arizona rebuffs.

"Uh, yeah you will. We all knew you had the hots for each other before the two of you wanted to admit it. And now that you admit it, there's no way in," Teddy stops looking over at Katie, "no way i that you can hide these 'I want to rip your clothes off' looks from him."

"Teddy, you don't know what you are talking about."

"Oh, please. You do what you want, but I'm telling you, he will figure it out within thirty seconds, because if you two aren't looking at that beautiful little girl over there, you can't take your eyes off of each other. Which… I find totally adorable because I have never seen you like this before. But, Callie might not want her dad to find out that way. So, just saying…"

Callie listens to Teddy and says, "You're probably right. We will have to talk about it."

"That's all I'm saying. Anyways, I better go. I'll talk to you guys later. Yell if you need anything."

After Teddy leaves, Callie grabs a book and begins to read to Katie. When she is done, she sits it down and begins to grab another one, not paying much to attention to what Arizona is doing.

Arizona watches Callie do anything she can to avoid looking at her. Finally, Arizona asks, "Can we talk?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"I think there is, because you aren't even looking at me."

Callie sighs and gets up to walk out of the room, with Arizona right behind her. Arizona follows past the nurses until they get to their on-call room, where Callie opens the door and walks in.

"What's going on?" Arizona asks, as she walks up behind Callie, not touching her, but right behind her."

"I don't know."

"I think you do," Arizona says, quietly.

Callie blows out a long breath and says, "I have slept with three people. That's it. My ex, Mark, and then one other college hook-up that lasted about six months. That's it. I wasn't someone that was ever asked out. I was the nerdy girl. Nobody wanted to be with me. And then you come along. You are... so beautiful. And I know it's not anything you are doing, but there always seems to be a reminder that you were so different than I was... or am. That you have this experience that I will never have. I..."

"Yeah, I get it. I have a reputation that I don't think I will ever get away from," Arizona says, turning to sit down on the bed. "I'm sorry Callie. I know that you already have an opinion of me, and I know that Teddy and the whole Julie thing haven't helped, and..."

"Arizona, that's not it. I mean, I'm not going to lie and say that it doesn't bother me. I just, I think I'm more intimidated by it than anything. I mean, like I said, I'm not experienced. I just, I think I'm more nervous about disappointing you. And hearing Teddy talk today about how you usually aren't _just_ sleeping with someone, well, it was just a reminder that you are experienced. And where a few days ago, I was nervous about the thought of that happening, now I'm nervous about disappointing you. Because you are used to being with people who… know what they are doing."

Pulling Callie down to sit by her, Arizona leans over and kisses her. it starts out slow, then becomes a little more passionate. Pulling back, Arizona says, "I have to be honest. I'm nervous too."

"What? Why?"

"Because… I'm worried that _you_ will be disappointed. I mean, having sex with anyone for the first time, it's normal to he worried. Man/woman or woman/woman. I mean, sex is sex, and the first time is always nerve wracking, wondering whether or not you can make the other person happy in that way."

Nodding, Callie realizes Arizona is right. "I'm sorry. I guess I have been kind of caught up in my own head, I didn't think of it from your point of view, and that you might be nervous too."

"It's ok. Calliope, I just wanted you to know, we are both nervous. And it's ok. But please, don't shut down on me. Talk to me. Please."

"Ok."

"The last thing I want is for you to be nervous. You have no idea, and I mean, NO idea of how turned on I was last night. I…" Arizona's face turns red as she contemplates how much to say.

"You what?" Callie asks, leaning in to give the blonde a kiss.

"Never mind…" Arizona says, her face still red.

"Now you have me curious, Arizona, for your face to be that shade of red. You what?" Callie says, leaning in to kiss Arizona on the neck, causing her to moan.

Arizona reaches up and puts one hand on Callie's face. "I was so turned on last night, all you had to do would have been to touch me and I would have came."

"Arizona…" Callie says, as she attacks Arizona's lips. After a few moments, it starts to get a little more heated when Arizona turns to straddle Callie's lap.

"I wish you knew what you did to me," Arizona says as she leans down to kiss behind Callie's ear.

Callie hears that and flips them, pinning Arizona beneath her, causing Arizona to squeal. She takes one leg and applies pressure where Arizona needs it, then leans down to kiss her, causing Arizona's hands to roam everywhere.

"Oh, god…" Arizona moans, encouraging Callie. Just as Arizona palms one of Callie's breasts, there is a knock on the door.

"Arizona…. I KNOW you are in there!"

"Oh shit…" Arizona says, as she freezes.

"What? Who is it?" Callie asks, as she pulls back, panting.

"My mom."

"Arizona… the nurse told me you were in there!"

"Your mom? Oh my god…" she says, as she stands up quickly. "I was just between your legs, and now I have to meet your mom."

Chuckling, Arizona reaches over to straighten Callie's shirt up, then does the same to her own. "Yeah, and I _loved_ you there," Arizona says, as she leans over to give Callie one more kiss. "Now, you ready to meet my mom?"

"I um, guess I kind of have to be," Callie says, giving a nervous chuckle.

"She will love you," Arizona says, pulling a nervous brunette toward the door.

"I guess we will see…."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

As Callie is led to the door by Arizona, she stops and pulls Arizona's arm back.

"What's wrong?"

"I… I've only ever met George's mom and she didn't like me. I mean, I guess the feeling was mutual, but she hated me. What if your mom hates me too?"

"She won't hate you Calliope. You are a wonderful woman. She is going to love you. Just. relax and be yourself, and everything will be fine."

"But she is going to know what we were probably doing in here."

"Probably," Arizona says, somewhat amused by the panic that has now set in for Callie, but sympathy overtakes her. She doesn't want meeting her mom to be a bad memory for her. "Look, she will assume I was taking advantage of you. And believe me, I know I'm not doing myself any favors in saying that, but… you will be the innocent one. She will assume I am the one corrupting you. You will be fine, I promise."

Callie looks at her and says, "Hm. You must not hide much from your mom."

"Well, even if I try, she can see right through it. So, it doesn't do any good," Arizona says, shrugging. "Now, it will be fine, so let's meet my mom, ok?" Callie takes a deep breath and nods. Opening the door, Arizona is faced with an older version of herself. "Mom… hey, what are you doing here?"

"Well, hello to you too," Barbara says, noticing the woman right behind Arizona. "I'm interrupting something…" Barbara says, smirking. It isn't a question, rather a knowing statement.

"What? Oh… no. Not at all. We were just…"

"I know exactly what you were doing. Don't you have a bedroom at home for that?"

"Mom. We weren't doing anything. We were just, um, talking. Mom, this is Callie Torres," she says, pulling Callie up next to her, trying to change the subject. "Callie, this is my mom, Barbara."

"Hello… It's nice to meet you," Callie says, holding her hand out.

"Well, it's nice to meet you too," Barbara says, looking at Callie. Then she turns to Arizona, "This is who you were telling me about last week?"

Blushing, Arizona says, "Yeah. This is her."

Looking at Callie again, Barbara smiles. "I see why my daughter is taken with you. You are beautiful."

"Um, thank you," Callie says, surprised to hear that Arizona's mom already knew about her.

"Not just beautiful, she is brilliant too. So mom, what are you doing here?" Arizona asks, trying to get the attention off of Callie.

"Well, I haven't really heard from my daughter all week. I was kind of worried. Then I ran into Teddy at the gas station and she said you were here. She said, and I quote, "She would love to see you. You should stop by."

"Teddy would tell you that..." Arizona says, causing Callie to chuckle.

"Well, she knew I was worried about you. So, what's kept you from at least texting me this week?"

Looking at Callie, Arizona asks, "Do you mind if I tell her?"

"Not at all…" Callie says, offering an assuring nod.

"Well, do you remember last week, I um, I told you I was consulting on a case for Mayo?"

"Oh, yeah, I do remember that. You were really wanting to figure something out for that little girl."

"Yeah, well, I did figure something out. And, what I didn't know at the time, was that it was um, Callie's daughter," Arizona says, wondering how she will react to her interest in a woman with a child. Barbara's eyes widen. "Wait... You didn't know it was her daughter?"

"Well, um, Callie's married name was in the file. I didn't make the connection."

"Married name?" Barbara asks, giving her daughter a look.

"Divorced...," Callie adds, trying to hurry and save Arizona from her mother's apparent unhappiness with the thought she might be married. "Actually, divorced several months ago. But we were not together for about a year and a half before that."

Nodding, apparently happy with that answer, Barbara says, "And your daughter, is she here now or still at Mayo?"

Not really sure what Barbara is thinking yet, Callie nervously answers, "Um, she is here."

"Well, why don't you two take me to see this little one?"

"Oh, mom… you don't have to do that..."

"Arizona…" Barbara says, giving her a look.

"Callie?" Arizona asks, making sure the brunette is up for this.

"Arizona, don't keep your mom waiting…," Callie smirks. She can see now that Barbara is a take charge kind of woman and she finds it rather endearing.

"Come on…" Arizona leads the two women down the hall, but not before she reaches back and takes ahold of Callie's hand and giving Callie a look as if to apologize. Callie just squeezes her hand and smiles, letting her know everything is fine.

They get to Katie's room and Arizona lets Callie take the lead and walk in first. Barbara follows and takes in the little brunette who is still hooked up to the vent.

"So, Arizona, you figured something out that will help her?"

"She more than did," Callie answers before Arizona has a chance to answer. "She is giving me my daughter back," Callie says, leaning over to give Arizona a kiss on the cheek, causing Barbara to smile.

"Yeah. We diagnosed her with juvenile myasthenia gravis. It is where the nerves and the muscles can't communicate. So, we have started her on several treatments and as of last night, they have started to work. She has moved fingers and toes, several times. We also know now that she can more than likely hear us, so, we have been reading and telling her stories. Callie sings to her. We just sit and talk so that she knows we are here."

Barbara nods and looks back to Callie. "She is beautiful. Just like you."

"Thank you," Callie says, "You're too kind."

"Where is her father?" Barbara asks.

"Mom," Arizona moans.

"It's ok," Callie says, "He isn't in the picture. He signed over legal and physical custody during the divorce. He hasn't seen her in months. Even before the divorce, he only stopped to see her every few weeks. He only did that because his family pressured him to do it."

"Oh. Well, what about your parents? Are they close?"

"No. They live in Miami. My dad is actually flying in tomorrow for a visit though."

Barbara listens then turns back to watch Katie for a few more minutes. "So," Barbara says, turning back to see the two women looking at each other. "You two have been at the hospital all week?"

"Yeah, we started out at Mayo and then we made it back here Thursday," Arizona says.

"So, I have a feeling you two have not left the hospital much at all in the past week, am I right?"

"We haven't wanted to leave," Arizona says, giving her mom a look to leave it alone.

Watching the duo in front of her, Barbara seems to make a decision. "Why don't you two let me stay with her. I raised two kids so I make an excellent baby-sitter. You two run home, take a nice hot shower, then get eat a decent meal for once. What do you say."

"Oh, Mrs. Robbins... That's... You don't have to do that," Callie says.

"First of all, it's Barb. Or mom... whichever floats your boat. It's the least I can do. You two can't live on hospital food. Go get a healthy meal. I'm sure she has fed you nothing but grease this week if I know her."

This causes Callie to chuckle. "Well, I can't argue with that part, and I really appreciate the offer, but you don't have to do that."

"I know. I want to. You need to take care of yourselves. Go have a healthy dinner and take a hot shower that is actually hot. I'll be here when you get back."

"Mom..."

"Actually," Callie says, pulling Arizona around to face her. "I could stand to run home and grab some things. And I would love some real food. I have a feeling she is in good hands for an hour or two."

"Really?" Arizona asks, surprised.

"Yeah, really," Callie says, smiling as she looks at Barb. "You will call if anything changes?"

"Absolutely," Barbara nods.

"Well, Mom, if you don't care then, I'll take her to get what she needs. And... feed her some healthy food. We'll be back soon."

"Take your time..." Barbara smiles as the two make their way out of the room.

As they are walking down the hall, Arizona stops to let the nurses know they are stepping out for a bit but that her mom is there with them. Once they make it to the car and go to head of out the parking lot, Arizona stops at the light and chuckles.

"What's so funny?"

"I don't know where you live," Arizona says, causing Callie to chuckle as well.

"Turn right," Callie says, smiling. As Callie gives Arizona directions, they finally make it back to Callie's and head inside.

"Wow. This is... nice," Arizona says, looking around. She had a feeling Callie would have a nice house, but this is more than what she expected.

"Yeah, it's ok. Kind of glad my dad isn't coming here tomorrow. He would probably have a different opinion."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, this isn't his cup of tea. He likes something a little more... elaborate, I guess you could say. And it's pretty small for his taste... So, he would ramble on and on about how I could do better."

Trying to understand everything Callie is saying, Arizona says, "I think it's a beautiful house. Looks like it fits you."

"Yeah. It does. Um, I obviously haven't been here so there isn't much in the fridge, but there is some pop in there. So, help yourself. I um, I am going to go grab a quick shower and get some different clothes on. There is a remote on the coffee table in there."

"Ok," Arizona says. "Take your time."

"I won't be too long..." Callie says, as she places a small kiss on Arizona's cheek and heads upstairs.

Arizona watches her disappear, then makes her way to the living room. Before she sits on the couch, she looks around, taking in the brunette's space. It's definitely Callie. Everything is modern but has a sort of charm about it.

Over the mantle, there are a few pictures of Callie and Katie. One looks like it was taken moments after she was born. Callie has the most beautiful smile on her face. The others look like Katie was maybe a year old. She notices that Katie looks so much like Callie, even at that age.

Deciding to not snoop too much, she has a seat and turns the tv on, pulling a blanket down from the back of the couch and covering up. The next thing she knows, she is woken up by a warm hand on her face. She wakes up to see Callie sitting beside her, with a stack of papers, sorting them out.

"Hey… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Oh, you're fine. I had some stuff to go through here anyway, so I didn't feel too guilty doing it while you were sleeping."

Nodding, Arizona sits up and folds the blanket, putting it on the back of the couch where she pulled it from. "So, you feel better after a nice, hot shower?"

"Oh, yeah. To be honest, the showers at the hospital haven't been terrible, but there is nothing like a shower at home. Standing up and taking the papers into the kitchen, she comes back in and says, "I'm ready to go if you are. I would imagine you are ready for one of those hot showers too."

"Well, it doesn't sound bad, I'll give you that."

About fifteen minutes later, the women arrive at Arizona's. When they walk in, Callie was surprised to see that is was a lot homier than what she would have expected from Arizona. Lots of pictures are hanging on the walls. Mostly Arizona and a blonde man that looks very much like her, giving away they have to be related.

Walking right into the living room, Arizona walks over to Callie and puts her arms around her. "I am going to go take a shower. You are welcome to stay down here or you can come up and keep me company." Callie's eyes grow big and Arizona says, "Relax... I just meant that you can come and sit on the bed, and I can keep the door to the bathroom cracked. We can talk while I'm in the shower."

"Oh. Well, um, yeah. That sounds good," Callie says, not really wanting to sit in the living room by herself.

"Good. Come on..." Arizona says, popping her dimples and leading Callie back to her bedroom. Turning her light on, Callie smiles when she walks in. Arizona has a large bed with a canopy, layered with large pillows and a fluffy throw blanket at the foot of the bed, with a book flipped over as if Arizona was coming back to it soon.

"Wow. This is beautiful, Arizona," Callie says, walking past Arizona over to the large bed and sitting down, picking the book up. She looks at the page Arizona is on and skims through it, looking back up at the woman and giving her a mischievous grin. "You like the steamy ones, huh?"

"Well, it makes for interesting reading, and... you never know when you might learn something," Arizona says, winking at Callie as she makes her way into the bathroom. "You might appreciate it later," Arizona says, causing Callie to laugh.

"I didn't think it was that funny, Arizona puts, as she starts taking her clothes off behind the cracked door.

Callie kicks her shoes off and makes herself comfortable, looking back at the book and chuckling to herself as she reads a little more.

"You are out there reading it now, aren't you?" Arizona yells out of the bathroom, over the sound of the water that is now running.

"Maybe," Callie says back, nonchalantly, as she continues to read. "You know, for a peds doctor, you have some rather slutty taste in reading. It's a little surprising."

"Well, you have to have some guilty pleasures Calliope. You don't have any?"

"I didn't say that. I mean, I love to read too. Usually I'm in public though, at the hospital and stuff, so I try to keep it more just... R rated as opposed to... this," she chuckles. "Not that I don't have any of these at home though, because I do." Leaning back, she sighs, getting comfortable as Arizona showers. A few minutes later, she says, "I love this bed. It's amazing."

"Thanks," Arizona says, as she shuts the water off. "I picked it out last year. I always wanted one when I was a kid, but we moved around so much, my parents wouldn't buy nice stuff. The military had a knack of scratching things up during moves, so they always said they weren't going to spend money on something just to have it ruined. Which, I could understand, but I always wanted one. Of course, when I picked this one out, I didn't run to the kids' section, although I was tempted. But, there is nothing keeping me from draping a few blankets over this and making a cool fort if I wanted."

"Ah, see, the peds surgeon makes an appearance," Callie says, as she giggles at the idea of Arizona making a fort out of this gorgeous bed.

About that time, Arizona comes out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel wrapped around her. "Well, I left the peds surgeon in the bathroom, now... I'm all woman," Arizona says, walking over towards Callie.

As she gets closer, Callie can smell the scent of Arizona's body wash, and falls in love with it. She watches as Arizona leans down and whispers, I can assure you, I'm all woman when I'm in bed." She can't help but giggle as Callie gasps.

"Um, I have no doubt about that," Callie squeaks as Arizona makes her way over to grab some clothes out of her drawer.

"You have a bad habit of not taking clothes in with you, don't you?"

"Well, usually I don't need a lot of clothes when I'm home. So, I guess I'm not in the habit of taking any in with me at all," Arizona says, watching Callie put the book down and sit up.

Callie watches as Arizona moves from one drawer to the other, pulling some things out, then heading right back to the bathroom. Callie has to admit, she is almost a little disappointed that Arizona didn't come back over to the bed. Watching Arizona, she wonders if they would have stopped themselves before Barbara knocked on the door earlier.

Arizona gets dressed and leaves her hair up in the towel for a little bit longer as she makes her way out of the bathroom and then, has a seat by Callie.

"You doing ok?" Arizona asks, as she takes the towel down and starts drying her hair.

"Yeah."

"You sure? You look like something is bothering you," Arizona says, as she sits the towel down and runs her fingers through her hair, trying to tame it.

"Um, it's just, earlier, before your mom came in…"

"Calliope, I'm sorry. I need to stop and give you space. I'm pushing you and putting pressure on you... I'll start staying somewhere else. I don't want you to feel pressure to do something you aren't ready for."

"Arizona… I know I'm new to the… lady stuff. But I'm a big girl. I am still a little nervous, but please don't mistake that for me being unsure of what I want. And, to be honest, it doesn't mean I'm not ready either, because I really am. The only thing I really don't want, is our first time to be in an on-call room. So, as much as I really," Callie says, leaning over to kiss below Arizona's ear, "…really enjoyed what was happening earlier," she says as she places more kisses up along Arizona's jaw line, "I'm kind of glad we had to stop. Not that I wanted to stop, but because I want our first time to be special."

Leaning down to where Arizona can see right into Callie's eyes, she says, "I feel the same way. So, I will promise you right now, our first time, will be here… or your house, and there will be candles and maybe some bubble bath," Arizona whispers as she leans in to kiss Callie's full lips, then runs her hands down Callie's neck to then reach around to tangle her hands in Callie's hair, pulling her closer. "I will make sure it's a night that you will _never_ forget."

"Arizona…" Callie whispers, as she lunges forward to take the blonde's lips with her own, causing Arizona to moan. Things start to get a little heated when Arizona pulls back, slowing things down.

"Calliope, I think we need to go, otherwise, the bubble bath and candles are going to be skipped, and you deserve something more romantic."

"Well, I don't know about the last part, but I think you are right. We definitely need to go before those clothes of yours come off."

"Well, Miss Torres, I can't believe you think I would just take them off."

"Actually Miss Robbins, I think you are misunderstanding me. We need to go before I take those clothes off of you. You came out in that towel, dripping wet… then disappeared on me. Let's just say, at this point, I'm a little… wet now too."

"Oh, god," Arizona says as she leans in to kiss Callie, only for Callie to pull back, with a smug expression on her face and stand up.

"You ready?"

"Are you serious?" Arizona asks, with her mouth left gaping open after Callie's last comment.

"Yes. Because as true as my statement was... and believe me, it's very true," Callie says, dropping her voice and leaning in towards Arizona. "I think maybe, if everything goes ok this week, maybe next weekend, maybe we can ask your mom to sit with her again?"

"Really?"

Callie nods giving Arizona a big smile. "You can take me out on a real date. And maybe.. you can throw in some bubbles and candles..."

A grin taking over Arizona's face, she says, "I'd love that. A lot."

"Me too," Callie says, leaning in to give Arizona a kiss.

An hour later, the women walk back into Katie's room to see Barbara holding Katie's hand, and talking up a storm.

"I'm telling you sweetie, that girl took off running and jumped on that pig's back, trying to ride it. She slipped right off the other side of that thing and fell in the mud. She just thought she had to keep up with her brother. He stayed on for a whole three seconds before that pig dumped him."

"Telling stories on me, mom?"

"Of course. I have plenty dear. You look like you are a little refreshed. Have a good time?"

"Yeah, we grabbed a quick shower and stopped at both houses. Then I took her to that deli that has that rotisserie chicken that I like."

"Oh, that is delicious. I had some the other day."

"So, any more movements?"

"She moved a few fingers for me a few times. She really is beautiful Callie."

"Thank you. And thank you for sitting with her for a little while. I know I need to get out more. It's just hard to leave her. I don't want to have her need me and not be here. I'm all she has."

"Not anymore," Arizona says, reaching over and grabbing Arizona's hand. "You aren't alone."

The women stand there for a few moments before Barbara stands up. "Ok, that's enough of that mushiness for me. When can I come back and stay with her again?"

Arizona looks at Callie and gives her a small grin, making sure Callie is still ok with what they talked about earlier. After getting a nod in response, Arizona says, "Actually, how about one night next weekend? Maybe Friday or Saturday night?"

"Really? I'd love to! Either one works for me. You pick and let me know."

"Thanks, Barbara. I really appreciate it," Callie says.

"Anytime," Barbara says. Looking at Arizona she says, "Well, I'm going to go. I hope that you hold on to this one. Whatever this is, it looks good on you." With that, Barbara turns around and leans down to give Katie a kiss on the cheek, then walks over to give both the women a quick hug. "Let me know about next weekend."

"We will. Thanks again, Mom."

Barbara winks at them both, then turns around to leave before stopping. "Oh, should I bring a bag for a slumber party next weekend?"

Blushing, Callie looks to Arizona to take that question.

"Mom..."

"Ok, I'll take that as a yes. Bye girls."

Once Barbara is gone, Callie looks at Arizona. "You really talk to your mom about your s.e.x. life?" Callie whispers.

"What? No! But, I have a feeling she sees what Teddy and Addie see with us. I think we _are_ that obvious, which makes tomorrow a problem."

"I know..." Callie says, sitting down, letting out a deep breath.

"What time is your dad coming? Do you know?"

"He texted earlier and said his flight should land around ten. He is flying into the local airport, so he should be here by ten-thirty."

"I need to leave for a while. If not, he will figure it out if I'm here."

Callie looks at Arizona and gives her a sad smile. "I'm sorry."

Arizona looks at her for a minute and then smiles. "Actually, I'm not. If it's that obvious that we care about each other, then... I think that's a good thing. I know when it's time, you will tell him."

"I promise, I will. Thank you. And for the record, I love the way you look at me."

"I love the way you look at me too," Arizona says.

Needing to get her mind off the stunning brunette next to her, Arizona stands and gives her a small kiss, then makes her way over to grab Katie's chart. "I think that I'm going to make a few changes. Since we are seeing an improvement, I think I'm going to increase one of her meds just a little bit. I know she moved a lot more today and I think we need to build on that."

"If it means it will help her move a little quicker, then I'm all for it."

"I know. I think we can safely increase this one," she says, pointing to something so Callie can see. However, I think this will be the last increase we can make without causing some adverse effects."

"Ok. I would agree with that. It's weird you know, being a doctor and knowing so much but when it's your family... my daughter, it's so different. Even when I know we can't rush things, the mom in me wants to. Then the doctor in me has to step in and remind me that we can't do that."

"I can imagine." Turning to face Callie, Arizona pulls her close, and wraps her arms around her waste. "You know, I meant what I said earlier. You aren't alone now."

Searching Arizona's eyes, Callie sees nothing but sincerity. "I know. But I also know this is new right now. I wouldn't blame you if this got to be too much."

"Calliope, I'm crazy about you. And I know when Katie wakes up, I'm going to be just as crazy about her too. I have no intentions of going anywhere."

Callie reaches up and cups Arizona's cheek and gives her a kiss.

When she leans back, Arizona says, "Now, I need to read this little girl a bedtime story. And I know just the one…"

Callie sits and watches as Arizona does just that. As she watches the blonde with her daughter, she wonders… Could this really be what her future could look like? As she ponders it for a few moments as Arizona continues to read, she smiles. She realizes she is falling head over heals in love with this woman, and there is absolutely nothing she can do to stop it.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Arizona Robbins left Katie's room about two hours ago. Since then, Callie has been holding Katie's hand, listening to Carlos Torres question her about almost everything under the sun. She is now hoping that he doesn't ask the one question she doesn't want to answer.

Luck is definitely not on her side as he says, "So, have you met anyone since you have been here?"

"Oh, yeah. I've made several friends."

"That's wonderful. But, have you _met_ anyone? Surely there are some available doctors around here, or lawyers. Hospitals have those too…"

"Dad, I'm sure there might be, but I am just not interested in looking around." And that's a fact. She found what she wasn't even looking for.

"You can't stay single forever, Calliope."

Sighing, Callie says, "Dad. I know. I can assure you, I definitely don't intend on being single forever. I know there is someone out there," Callie says, smiling. "I just need time." Time to tell her dad, that is.

Seeming to be content with her answer for now, he lets it go. "So, this doctor of hers, she was just consulting on the case and just figured it out? We flew in specialists that couldn't do that."

"Yeah. She worked at Mayo for a while. She did her residency there. She was a pediatrician turned pediatric surgeon. They got ahold of her and asked her to consult on Katie's case. She actually has a practice right across the road from me. She is… an amazing doctor."

"Well, I think it's safe to say we are indebted to her if she gets this little one back on her feet."

"Yeah. She is something." Knowing she needs to change the subject, she says, "So, how is mom? I haven't talked to her in a while?"

"Oh, you know your mother. She is always busy with something. Hey, are you hungry? I'm getting hungry. I can run to the cafeteria and grab us something, then bring it back."

"You can just grab something for you. I'm ok."

"Nonsense. You have to eat something.

"Um, how about just a salad then. Everything else is kind of nasty."

"Thanks for the warning," Carlos chuckles. "Two salads coming up. I'll be right back."

Callie watches as he leaves, then pulls her phone out, sending a text. "Hey sexy. I miss you."

"Hey pretty lady. I miss you too. Everything going ok?" Arizona asks.

"For the most part. He is asking lots of questions and of course, some of those include you. It's hard to talk about you without really talking about you. That make any sense?"

"I think so," Arizona says.

"I mean, I told him about what an amazing doctor you are, but I can't really talk about what an amazing person you are. And you are. You are so amazing."

"I can say the same about you. Where is your dad right now?"

"Grabbing us a salad. What are you doing?"

"I'm sitting in the lounge."

"Why don't you run home for a while? No point in sitting there all afternoon."

"I'm ok. Nothing to do at home either. Would rather stay close."

"You don't have to though. Oh, I gotta go. He's back."

"Ok. Miss you."

Seeing Arizona's last text, she can't help but smile. She puts her phone back in her pocket and smiles at her dad.

After more small talk over their salad, Carlos asks something that surprises Callie.

"Does George know she is starting to improve?"

Looking at her dad in disbelief, she says, "Are you kidding me, dad? George doesn't have any right to know anything."

"He is still her father, Calliope."

"He signed over custody. Physical and legal. He doesn't deserve to know anything dad. He didn't care to see her when she was close, and I sure as hell have no intentions of letting him have anything to do with her now. He lost any right he had to know anything about her. Just, don't even get me started. I can't believe you would even suggest I let know anything."

"Well, I just think he should at least be kept up to date on things. He used to be a good man, you know."

"That later all of about ten seconds. If it weren't for Katie, I would say he was a total mistake. And no, I will not tell him anything."

"Well, that's your call," Carlos says, shrugging. Looking back at Katie, he says, "I just think it's never too late to have a change of heart. Maybe he would come around."

"Not happening, dad. He lost that right."

A little while later, as Callie is more than ready for her dad to leave, he excuses himself to go to the restroom. While he is gone, she is doing what she has done for the past two days, and begins playing with each finger, one at a time. Suddenly, her whole hand flinches. Not once, not twice.

"Hey sweetheart! Mommy is right here. I'm right here with you. I see you moving your hand honey. I see it. Come on, I know you can do it. I know you can."

Callie keeps talking to her and feels Katie move her hand one more time, then the one thing she has waited on for two years happens. As she is watching Katie intently, she sees one eye, flutter open. "Katie! Hey baby! Mommy is right here! Oh my god, Katie… I love you so much. I see you baby, I'm right here!" Too excited to think, she pushes the call light and within seconds, a nurse is coming in.

"How can I help you?" The nurse says, walking in to see what's wrong.

"Page Dr. Robbins! We need her! Hurry!"

"Right away," the nurse says, pulling out her device to do just that. The nurse then makes her way over to see exactly what's going on, and can see one eye, fluttering open.

"Dr. Torres, this is amazing!" The nurse exclaims, handing Callie a tissue as she now has tears streaming down her face.

Callie can do nothing but nod as she continues talking to Katie.

A few seconds later, Arizona comes running in. "What's wrong? What's going on?" Arizona says, rushing over next to Callie and surveying the scene before her.

"Katie! Hey sweet girl…" Arizona says, a big smile breaking out on her face as she sees part of a brown eye peeking out from under an eye lid. She asks the nurse for a few things and the nurse rushes out. "Calliope…"

"I know…," she says, giving Arizona a smile that goes beyond anything Arizona has ever seen before. "Hey Katie, hey sweetie. Look at mommy…"

With Katie's eyes barely open, Arizona anxiously takes the small light from the nurse as she walks back in. "Here you go, Dr. Robbins."

"Thanks…" Arizona takes the light and nudges her way in, in front of Callie. "Hey there Katie. I'm going to use this light and it's probably going to be very, very, bright. But I will make it as quick as possible," Arizona assures her.

Normally she wouldn't shine a light this soon after someone opens their eyes, but she needs to know if Katie has control over her eyes at all. She shines the light and hold her eyelid open a little farther with one hand as she examines her eye with the light. She then puts the light down and moves her finger from side to side, and to her delight, Katie is able to follow for a second or two. "That's amazing Katie. You are doing so good!"

"She followed you!" Callie says excitedly.

"Yes, she did, didn't you Katie?" Arizona says, not taking her eyes off the little brunette.

"Arizona, I can't believe it!"

Not thinking, Arizona reaches over and pulls Callie closer as Callie is just a mess of emotions, laughing and crying all at the same time, all while trying to talk to Katie to keep that one eye fluttered open for as long as possible.

"What happened?" Carlos asks, as he walks in to see Callie, along with Arizona and the nurse standing there.

"Daddy… she opened one of her eyes. And she was following Arizona with it. Um," Callie's smile falters a little, but right now, she is too excited to care too much. "Daddy, this is Dr. Arizona Robbins. She is Katie's doctor. Arizona, this is my dad, Carlos."

Smiling, Arizona goes to shake his hand and realizes that it's the same hand that was just wrapped around Callie. He doesn't say anything, but she knows he noticed because his eyes squinted just a little bit. It was almost unnoticeable, but she saw it. "It's nice to meet you, sir."

"It's nice to meet the doctor that's giving us our little girl back," Carlos says, watching as Katie seems to hear another voice. They can see her eye moving back and forth, as if trying to see where the sound is coming from.

"Daddy, come over here…" Callie says, stepping back just a little to make room for her dad.

He makes his way over and sees Katie's eye flutter a little more. "Hey there, my little Princesa. It's so good to see you waking up. We love you so much." Carlos is thrilled to see his granddaughter making progress.

The three of them continue to talk to her, then Arizona tries to step back, but Callie reaches out and grabs her hand. "Stay, please..." Callie says it quietly, but her dad heard, as he turns to quickly look, before turning back to Katie.

Arizona gives her a questioning look, but Callie only smiles, reassuring her she wants her to stay. Arizona nods, then tries to let go of Callie's hand, only for Callie to tighten her hold. The three of them stand like that for a few minutes, as Callie continues to talk to Katie, but eventually Katie tires out and her eyelid flutters closed.

"Callie, I'm going to go make some notes and look over her chart. I'll be back in to check on her here in just a bit. I'll be out at the desk, so just hit the button if you need me."

"Thank you. I just don't know what else to say..."

"She is doing all the work, Calliope. She is a fighter. I'll be out there," Arizona says, as she makes her way out the door.

As Callie and her dad continue to stand by the bed, Carlos can't help but ask, "So, you and the doctor seem like you know each other pretty well."

"Um, well, we have had a lot of time the past week to get to know one another. She took the week off to spend at Mayo and we ended up spending a lot of time together. We have gotten to be pretty good friends, I guess you say. She has changed things for Katie, so much. I will forever be grateful to her."

"Well, I'm certainly thankful for her. Katie is making great improvements thanks to her."

"You know, I need to thank you, for making it possible to bring Katie back here. For getting the medical equipment taken care of."

"Calliope, you know I would do anything for you two."

"I know. It's just, I appreciate it. I mean, I just opened the practice and I was going to have to let it slide to be there with her, and now, I can do both."

"Are you going to work full-time? I can hire another sitter to come in with her during the day."

"Oh, there's no need. Arizona... Dr. Robbins, is going to be here in the mornings. She said she would be here to make sure her treatments were running smoothly and that she would, you know... come in and check throughout the morning. So, I will work mornings then be here by noon."

"Didn't you say she had a practice across from yours? Doesn't she have her own patients?"

"She does. But Katie is her patient now too, so she is rearranging her schedule a bit because she wants to be here."

"Sounds like that's first-class treatment."

"She is a very dedicated doctor. I mean, she didn't know Katie and still took the whole week off last week."

"You seem to like her a good bit."

"Yeah. She's been great through all this," Callie says, as she schools her face to try not to give anything away.

A little while later, Carlos needs to leave to head home and says his goodbyes. "Call me if anything changes. I'll try to make it back soon."

"I will, daddy."

"Good. Now, you take care of yourself and this little one. I love you both."

"We love you too, daddy."

Carlos gives them both a kiss on the cheek and heads out the door.

"Dr. Robbins," Carlos says, as he sees Arizona sitting at the nurse's station. "I want to thank you. For everything you have done. You are helping my granddaughter and making my daughter extremely happy in the process. Please, let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

"Oh, it's nothing, sir. I'm just glad to see Katie making improvements."

"Well, we appreciate it." With that, Carlos holds his hand out for Arizona to take, which she does. "I haven't seen my daughter this happy in a long time. It sounds like you are a great friend to her. So, thank you."

"It's my pleasure, really." Arizona can't remember the last time she felt this uncomfortable around someone. She is almost holding her breath.

Carlos nods and heads towards the elevator. As soon as he is on and the doors have closed, Arizona make bee line for Katie's room. As soon as Callie sees her come in, she rushes over to the blond and engulfs her in a hug.

"Hey, what's that for? Is she ok?" Arizona asks.

Callie doesn't say anything for a minute,. She just continues to hold Arizona, as Arizona has wrapped both arms around her. "It was just an emotional couple hours. And, I missed you. I'm sorry I made you stay earlier."

"Calliope, you didn't make me stay. I wanted to stay. I just... didn't want to draw more attention to myself than need be."

"As soon as Katie is better, we are telling him. I didn't like pretending we were just friends. At all. You are... so much more than that," Callie says, looking into Arizona's eyes.

"I know... I didn't like it either," Arizona says, shaking her head.

Arizona puts her hands on either side of Callie's face and brings her in for a kiss, with Callie wrapping her arms around her.

XXXXXXX

Deciding his granddaughter needs a teddy bear he sees in the gift shop window on his way out, Carlos makes the purchase and heads back upstairs to give it to her. As he starts to walk in the room, he sees Callie and Arizona, kissing. Shocked, he quietly turns around, heads back out of the room, and hands the teddy bear to a nurse who is standing there. "Can you give this to Katie O'Malley please?"

"Sure thing, sir."

"Thank you," Carlos says, as he once again walks back to the elevator. He is floored by what he just witnessed. He stops, thinking about going back and confronting his daughter and the blonde doctor, but decides against it. He needs time to get his thoughts together.

Walking into Katie's room, the nurse clears her throat to let the women know she is there. "Sorry to interrupt, Dr. Robbins. There was a man out in the hallway. I saw him leave here earlier, but he asked me to give this to Katie," the nurse says, holding out the teddy bear to Arizona.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"Maybe I should try calling him again."

"Or… maybe you should wait Calliope. You don't know whether he saw anything or not. Maybe he just didn't want to come back in here and say his goodbyes all over again. Maybe giving the bear to the nurse was quicker. He did have a plane to catch."

"Arizona… I know how my luck is. Odds are, he saw."

"But you don't know for sure. Why make things worse if you don't need to? I don't know that you should call again."

The two women have been having this exact same conversation on and off all evening. After the nurse left, Callie was convinced that her dad had seen them.

All evening, she has been pacing back and forth, across Katie's room, wondering what she needs to do. She tried calling once but he didn't answer. Arizona says he was probably on the plane and that's why.

Sighing, Arizona pulls Callie down onto her lap on the next trip by on her well worn path.

"Calliope, I know it's your dad. I know it's a big deal for several reasons about whether he saw or not. You are going to make yourself sick if you keep this up though. So you have two options. You can call again and try to talk to him… you know, feel him out and see if you need to tell him. Or, you let it go all together and wait and see if he mentions it, on the outside chance he didn't see anything."

"Arizona… I don't know what to do."

"I know," Arizona says, pulling Callie in closer, nuzzling her nose into Callie's hair. "I'm sorry, Calliope. This is all my fault."

Shaking her head, Callie says, "Arizona, this isn't your fault. This is just… life. This is me falling for an incredible woman. I don't regret that for one second. I should have just told him to begin with."

"No. We agreed the time wasn't right yet. I didn't want you to risk your relationship with him if this ended up not working."

Callie looks at Arizona for a second before she asks, "Do you think this isn't going to work?"

"No! That's not it. I just.. what if you would tell him and then you decide you don't want this? And I don't think you feel that way, so don't take it the wrong way. I have just lived this life a lot longer than you. There are people that may never understand us, and I have accepted that. It might be more than you want to deal with though, especially since you have a daughter to think about too."

"So you think I can't handle other people not agreeing with my choice of lifestyle?"

Getting frustrated, Arizona shakes her head. "I'm not saying you can't. But until you are put in the situation of someone not agreeing with this, you don't really know how you will feel. Especially if it happens to be family."

Standing up to put some space between her and Arizona, Callie is starting to get frustrated. "Arizona, I'm a big girl. I don't live my life to make other people happy. I know for a fact, if my dad saw earlier, he isn't happy. Me trying to figure out whether to call him or not isn't because I'm so much worried he won't approve, because, frankly, I know he won't. That's just who he is. I just don't want him to not have anything to do with me. Because I can handle him not agreeing with this. I just don't want to lose my dad."

"Then you should call him. And if this is too much, I'll understand."

"Arizona, if this is going to work, you need to quit doubting me."

"I'm not."

"You are. You seem to think that if my dad doesn't approve, I'll walk away. That's not happening. Remember when you told me that you had no choice but to wait for me?"

Arizona nods, remembering the conversation.

"Well, I have no choice either. I'm in this… whether my dad or the rest of the family approves or not. I get it… I could lose them. And I hate the thought of that happening, but I couldn't walk away from you if I tried. And that may be hard to believe, but it's true."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to doubt you. That wasn't my intention. I just… I care about you So much," Arizona says, looking down at her hands.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Then call him again," Arizona says, with a reassuring smile.

XXXXXXX

The next morning, Callie is sitting with Katie as Arizona is behind her, rubbing her shoulders. "You need to go if you are going to have time to go home and change before you go in."

"But what if she opens her eyes again?"

"We hope she does. And, if that happens, I will call you right away And then you can decide if you want to come or not. But you need to go, otherwise Addie is going to have to cancel your appointments."

"You promise you will call?"

"You have my word."

Callie nods, as her eyes fill up with tears. "I will be back by noon so you can leave."

"Calliope… Come here." Arizona knew this would be hard on Callie and pulls her into a hug. "Honey, I promise, I will be here with her the whole time. They couldn't get me out of here if they tried. So I promise I will call you if she does anything."

Callie nods, stepping away from Arizona. "Ok. Thank you. You're right. I do need to go. Wearing these leggings wouldn't be very professional so I should go home and change first."

"I agree. Although I personally love those leggings on you, I'd rather you leave less to their imaginations. Because those," she whispers, "make your ass, look fantastic," Arizona says, trying to get the brunette to smile.

"Yeah, right," Callie mumbles.

"Calliope," Arizona whispers into her ear, so Katie can't hear. "That ass is amazing. And this weekend, it's mine. I can't wait to feel you in my hands," Arizona says, leaning down to kiss Callie on the neck.

"Good grief, I'm gonna need a cold shower when I get home now," Callie grumbles, causing Arizona to giggle.

"Go… be amazing, and we will be here when you get back," Arizona winks, sending Callie a big, dimpled smile.

Callie leans in and gives Arizona a kiss, then heads home to get ready for work.

XXXXXXX

Walking through the front door to Torres Orthopedics, Callie is met by Addie, Christina, and Meredith rushing around getting things set up.

"Hey, I'm here," Callie says, walking over to Addie's desk and sitting in the chair next to it.

"You get any sleep last night? You look kinda tired," Addie asks.

"Not really."

"Oohhh, too much sex?"

"What? No! We haven't done that yet."

"Oh. Well, then, what's wrong?"

"My dad came for a visit yesterday. I think he may have walked in on Arizona and I kissing. He left a teddy bear with the nurse to bring in after he left. Arizona thinks he just didn't want to come back in the room. I'm afraid he did and that he saw, then left the bear with the nurse."

"Oh. Yeah, I see how that could go either way. Why don't you just call him?"

"I did. He didn't answer. And then I called again last night and it went to voice mail again."

"You said he is a busy man. Maybe he was actually busy," Addie offers.

"Yeah, or he was ignoring my calls," Callie says, shaking her head. "If he saw, I know he is pissed. But, I didn't think he would just ignore me."

"Keep calling. He might need time to process everything though."

"Maybe." Callie sighs and stands up to head into her office.

"Just so you know, I think you are going to forget all about it here in a few minutes," Addie says, handing Callie a file. "This is your first patient. Look at that mess of bones…"

Opening the file, Callie gasps, then a big smile appears. "This is just what I need. Oh… if Arizona calls, come get me. She is going to let me know if anything happens with Katie. She opened one of her eyes yesterday," Callie says smiling. "I don't want to miss anything, so she is going to let me know if anything changes. So, just a warning, if I go running out of the office, just cancel my appointments for the rest of the day."

"That's great, Callie. Seems like she is really starting to show some progress."

"She is. My life is just one big emotional mess right now."

"Sounds like other than your dad, it's mostly a good mess."

Smiling, Callie says, "Yeah. It really is."

XXXXXXX

Back at the hospital, Arizona is sitting and looking over Katie's chart, making notes. She decides to update Beth and Amelia, and send a quick email to let them know of Katie's progress.

The lab crew comes in to get Katie's treatment started for the day and Arizona decides to eat the breakfast she had a nurse bring her. Just as she is about to take a bite, she hears a throat clear behind her. Turning around, her eyes meet that of Carlos Torres.

"Mr. Torres…" Arizona stands, turning around to face him. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Calliope said she was working this morning and you would be here."

"Yeah," Arizona says, taking in the stoic man. He seems different. He knows. "She tried to call you last yesterday."

"I know," Carlos says, as he walks over to the side of Katie's bed, taking in the equipment that she is now hooked up to. "I assume this is what she needed from Mayo for her treatments?"

"Yes sir."

Nodding, he takes Katie's hand in his own, studying her for a few minutes before he kisses her hand and walks over towards the window.

"You saw, didn't you?" Arizona asks. She had a feeling he did, but was trying really hard to stay positive for Callie yesterday. She just wants to hear him admit it.

He doesn't say anything, but nods his head yes.

Arizona isn't really sure what to say. There's a lot she wants to say but doesn't know where his head is at the moment. So, she starts with something safe. "Calliope love you, sir."

"She might love me, but she has no respect for me," Carlos says, shaking his head.

"I'm not sure I'm following you."

"She might love me, but if she respected me, she wouldn't be doing whatever she is doing with you."

"Sir, I love my family. And I respect them. But, respect goes both ways. They love and respect me enough to let me love whoever I want to love."

Appraising her for a moment, he asks, "Are you saying that you love my daughter? You barely just met."

Thinking about the best way to answer, she nods. "You are correct. We did just meet. And I haven't told her this because honestly, I haven't wanted to scare her. But I think I fell in love with her the first time I met her. She is an amazing woman. She is smart, beautiful, witty, caring… I'm sure she is everything you raised her to be."

"I didn't raise her to be with a woman."

"I'm sure you raised her to take care of herself. To think for herself. To be able to find happiness for herself. If you did that, she is still who you raised her to be."

"I taught her to respect me. And she isn't doing that."

"Actually sir, she is. She could have thrown this in your face. She could have just not cared what you thought at all and threw it out yesterday, but she didn't. She knew it would upset you, and she is so afraid of losing you over this."

"She should be. Dr. Robbins, I'm thankful for what you are doing for my granddaughter. We never thought we would make it to this point. I was losing hope. But you have given that back to us. But, you are also taking my daughter away. I can't accept that."

"But I'm not taking her away."

"You are."

"I'm not. She isn't going anywhere. The question is, are you?"

Carlos doesn't say anything, but Arizona can tell he is getting frustrated.

Arizona sighs, and shakes her head. "You know, when I first met Calliope, I had no idea she was going through all this. She was so strong. So brave. I understand she has been through a lot, and it wasn't always easy on her. But she persevered. She came through this stronger than what I would have ever thought possible. I admire her so much for that. She pushed forward opening her own practice while spending as much time as she could with Katie. That's incredibly strong. I don't know that I could have done it. But she wanted it for Katie. She wanted Katie to be proud of her. That's your daughter. I'm not taking her away. I will support her and be there for her. But she isn't going anywhere. And she loves you. But you need to ask yourself if you will be there for her."

"I need to go," Carlos says, as he gives Katie a kiss on the cheek and makes his way towards the door.

"Mr. Torres…"

"I can't talk about this anymore. Not right now. I need some time."

Knowing better than to push, Arizona nods. "Just remember, she does love you."

Carlos doesn't say anything. He stops for a second and looks as if he might say something, and then leaves.

Arizona blows out a breath and sits down, placing her elbows on her knees and putting her face in her hands. Maybe she said too much… Maybe she didn't say enough. She has lots of thoughts running through her head when her phone chimes. She looks down to see Callie's name on display.

"Everything ok?" Callie wants to know.

Deciding not to make her worry, she doesn't mention the fact that the brunette's father was just here. "Everything's fine. Just missing you."

"I miss you too."

Putting her phone down, she wonders how Callie will take the news that Carlos knows. Arizona knows that Callie is in this, but she can't help but worry about it anyway. Quickly deciding she can't worry about 'what ifs', she pulls out a few books she had Teddy drop off on her way to work earlier. She ordered them online last week and had them sent to the office. They were some of her favorites growing up so she decided Katie needed to have them.

XXXXXXX

"I'm here…," Callie says, making her way in through the door, holding a bag of food from the drive through.

"Hey," Arizona says, watching as the flustered woman quickly hurries in, making her way over to take a quick look at her daughter, then turns to give her a kiss.

Pulling back, Callie watches her for a second as she pulls up the chair next to Arizona. Pulling a sandwich out, she asks, "Do you have time to eat? I brought this for you." Noticing Arizona only nod as she reaches for the sandwich, Callie worries. "What's wrong?"

Arizona is nervous. She thought she had her nerves under control, but seeing Callie has brought them back in full force. She doesn't know exactly how to say it, so she just blurts out, "Your dad was here."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Callie places her sandwich that she has in her hand back into the bag and stands up, irritated. "Why didn't you call me? Or tell me when I texted you?"

"I'm sorry. I knew you would be upset and I didn't want to make your first morning back to work more stressful than it needed to be," Arizona says, as she stands to get closer to Callie.

Moving over by the window, Callie turns to look at Arizona as she comes to stand next to her. "You should have told me. What did he say? He saw, didn't he?"

Sighing, Arizona says, "I'm sorry, I just didn't want to ruin your morning. But, I should have told you. And as far as your dad seeing, yeah, he did. I'm sorry. I know that's not how you wanted him to find out.

Shaking her head, Callie says, "No, it's not. What did he say?"

"Um, not a lot really. He doesn't think you are respecting him by living like this. I tried to assure him that you love him and that respect goes both ways. I explained that my parents respect me enough to let me love who I want to love. I assured him you are still the person he raised… A strong, smart, brave woman." Arizona pauses, hoping that Callie takes that statement about loving who she wants to love at face value, and doesn't read into it. Not yet, anyway. She will tell Callie how she feels if she has to, but she doesn't think Callie is ready for that. Luckily, Callie is too worried to pick up on it.

"Yeah, I um, I'm sure he thinks he doesn't recognize me anymore."

"He needs time. This is a big change, but I think he will come around. You just need to be patient."

"What if he pulls the equipment from here? I need to get prepared to take her back to Mayo," Callie says, turning around to look over at her daughter.

"I don't think that will happen. He was grateful that she is improving. He loves you both Calliope. He might not understand things right now, but he still loves you and Katie."

"Yeah, but my father is the type that would maybe put conditions on that."

"I don't know him, but I saw a man earlier that loves his granddaughter. I saw a man that loves you, otherwise he wouldn't have been here. He would have left and not looked back. The fact the he came here today was actually a good thing. It should tell you he isn't just going to walk away."

Callie shakes her head and blows out a breath. "Yet. He isn't walking away yet," Callie clarifies.

"You have to believe it will work out. Just give him time," Arizona says, reaching for Callie's hand and bringing it up to her mouth for a small kiss.

Arizona pulls Callie into a hug and then leads her back over closer to Katie. "Here, you need to eat. Keep your strength up. She has one hour left to go of this treatment then the techs will be back in to unhook her. You call me if you need anything. I um, I ordered some new books. They are on the table over there. We read the top three but I saved the rest so that you would have something new to read."

"Ok, thank you," Callie says, giving Arizona a small smile.

"I wish I didn't have to leave, but I have a one o'clock I need to get to."

"That's ok. You have no idea how sorry I am you had to talk to him this morning."

"I'd do anything for you. Don't worry about it," Arizona says, giving a sheepish smile.

"Thank you," Callie says, looking at the blonde. "Now... Go, be great."

"I'll be back later. Call if you need me."

"I will," Callie nods, giving Arizona a kiss.

"Oh," Arizona says before she quickly walks over to Katie and leans down to give her a kiss on the cheek. Callie watches, thinking that this woman somehow continues to amaze her at how wonderful she treats her and her daughter. When Arizona turns back around, she sees Callie smiling. "What?"

"You are just... amazing."

"I'm not so sure about that. Anyway, I gotta run," Arizona winks and heads out the door.

XXXXXXX

Callie has been reading to Katie and catching up on some files that she brought back from work. She has been worried about her dad all day. She wishes she could have told him herself instead of him finding out the way he did.

Realizing she isn't able to focus, she puts her files down and scoots her chair over closer to Katie.

"Hey sweetie. Mommy is right here and I love you very much. You know, I think Arizona likes you an awful lot. She got you several new books today. A few of them used to be some of my favorites growing up, so it's funny she picked them. I really hope you are starting to like her. She's pretty great. I think she is the best thing that's ever happened to us. I hope you liked her staying with you this morning. I think we are so very lucky to have her in our lives. I…"

Hearing a throat clear behind her, Callie quickly turns around to see her father standing there.

"Daddy," Callie says, standing up to face her father.

"Can we talk?" Carlos asks, watching as his daughter begins to have an internal debate.

"Um, if it isn't appropriate to have in front of Katie, I think it should wait."

Sighing, Carlos shakes his head and makes his way towards the window, where Callie hesitantly joins him. "I'm not going to berate you, Calliope. I need to apologize. For not answering when you called. I should have answered. There could have been something wrong and I wouldn't have known."

"That's ok. I know you probably weren't in the mood to talk to me anyway," Callie says, quietly, with a sad smile.

"Calliope, that's not it. It's just a lot to take in. You really care about her, don't you?"

Giving her dad a small smile, she nods, almost sheepishly. "I do. More than I thought possible."

Carlos already knew as much... He had been listening to his daughter talk to Katie. He just wanted to hear her say it.

"You know that's not how we raised you," he says quietly as he looks away and back out the window.

"I know. And I should say I'm sorry, but I can't. I can't apologize for something that is the best thing to happen to me in a while. It's not something I had planned. But after George and what's happened with Katie, life is too short to spend it being unhappy. I'm ready for good things, daddy. I'm ready for someone to love me and to love my daughter. I really think Arizona might be able to do that. I know she is a woman. And I know how you feel about that, but she makes me happy, dad. And she cares about Katie. She has gone above and beyond what anyone else would do. I was afraid she would run when she found out I had a kid. But instead, she has done the opposite. I mean, she rearranged her schedule to help me with her. I know you are surprised by it. I mean, I have to say, I was too. I mean, it's not something I ever considered. But it's... just her. I am... drawn to her. I can't even explain it," Callie says, softly.

Carlos isn't looking at her, but is looking out the window. He has heard every word though. "Calliope, I'm a man who believes in the bible. I have a raised you the best way I know how. I also know, you are a grown woman now. I've seen buddies of mine get estranged from their kids because they didn't see eye to eye. I always wondered how they could let their relationships just wither away. I don't want that for us. I don't want to lose you."

"You aren't going to. Unless you can't handle this part of me."

"I love you, Calliope. I... I know this is going to be hard for me. But you have to do what's best for you. I might not always agree with your decisions, and although I might not understand this, I must say, I think Dr. Robbins seems like a nice person. And, from what I can tell, she seems to take very good care of the two of you. So, you need to be patient with me. It's going to be hard, because I still don't agree. But, as Dr. Robbins told me earlier, I need to respect you. And I do. I love you and I respect you enough to let you make your own decisions."

"Oh, thank you daddy!" Callie wraps her arms around her dad's neck, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I love you Calliope. I just want you to be happy, and you seem happier than you have been in a long, long time."

"I am," Callie says, pulling back. "I really am."

"Well, I need to head home. Your mother thinks I am in New York right now. I didn't want to tell her the reason why I stayed, over the phone. It will probably be best to tell her in person."

"Mom isn't going to be as accepting as you, will she?"

"It's hard to tell. That woman can be full of surprises sometimes. I'll talk to her," Carlos says. He walks over to stand by Katie, reaching down to hold her hand. "You get better for your mom. I'll be back to see you soon. I can't wait to get a call from your mom telling me that you are sitting up and talking to her. Make sure to drive her nuts. She has it coming...," Carlos chuckles.

"Thanks, dad..." Callie says, smiling.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll come back," Arizona says, after making her way in and finding Carlos standing there.

"Dr. Robbins," Carlos says. "No, don't worry about it. Stay. I was just leaving anyway. I was telling Calliope her mother thinks I'm in New York. I guess I should probably at least make an appearance there," he says, chuckling.

Surprised at the change in the man from earlier this morning, and noticing her brunette in a better mood, Arizona gives him a hesitant nod.

Carlos walks over and stops, right next to her. "Thank you, for taking care of my girls. I have a feeling you will continue to take care of them, so if they need anything, let me know," Carlos says, pulling a business card out of his pocket, handing it to her. "I mean it. Anything."

"Yes, sir."

Carlos turns around and gives Callie a hug, followed by promises to call as soon as anything changes. He makes his way out of the room and Callie lets out a long breath.

"You ok," Arizona asks, putting her hand on Callie's arm, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Smiling, Callie looks up. "Surprisingly, yeah. I don't know everything you said to him this morning, but he is ok. I'm mean, he is surprised, and it will still take a little time to adjust, but he is ok."

At this point, Arizona sighs, feeling a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. She has been worried all day about how this could play out. "I didn't say anything really other than what I told you this afternoon. I knew for him to stay here and come back, he wasn't just going to walk away, but I was worried."

"Me too," Callie says, observing the blonde. "You really thought I might walk away if he didn't approve, didn't you?"

Arizona looks down, afraid to look at Callie right at this moment. "Calliope..."

"I know this is new," Callie cuts in. "And, I know that if the roles were reversed, maybe I would have been nervous about that too. I'm not going anywhere. I love my family, Arizona, but I live my life for me. I don't live it to please my family. They are important to me, and I hate to disappoint them, but that wouldn't have changed how I feel about you. I just, I need you to know that."

"Thank you. I appreciate you saying that," Arizona says, giving Callie a kiss.

"Well, I have had enough family talk for the day. How was your day? Heal a lot of sick kids today?"

"Not many. Mostly well checks. I did have a patient that came in with a pretty severe break from over the weekend. I'm not sure why the ER referred him to me. He needs ortho, so, I referred him to this pretty awesome doctor I know."

"Really? Who's that?"

"Oh, this Dr. Torres I met. She is always stealing my parking space, but she is smoking hot and I hear she is pretty good at what she does. I thought we would give her a try," Arizona giggles.

Callie grins, then leans over and whispers in her ear, "Well, if it's the same Dr. Torres I know, she tries damn hard to be _very good_ at whatever she does."

Arizona's eyes grow big and a dimpled smile appears. "Well, I hope to experience your talent soon. So much so, that I spoke to my mom earlier and she will be here at six on Saturday, to spend the evening with Katie."

Callie gets a bright smile on her face and leans in to give the brunette a kiss. "Sounds good to me."

"So, just for planning purposes, should I plan a night out, or a night in?"

"Oh, I don't know. I mean, dinner out in a restaurant... all dressed up. Or dinner in, being dressed at all a total option... I don't know. It's a tough call," Callie says, with a smirk.

"Well, you just helped me make up my mind...," Arizona says, smiling.

"Good. I'm glad I could help you decide," Callie winks, giving Arizona a sultry look.

The two spend the rest of the evening, taking turns talking and reading to Katie. Callie can't help but be excited as Katie once again moves her fingers and opens the same eye as she did before, but a little longer this time. Arizona makes note of a few changes she wants to make to Katie's treatment tomorrow. With each change she makes, Katie improves just a little bit more.

It's nearing midnight before the two women lay down to try to get some rest. Falling down into bed exhausted, Callie scoots towards Arizona and lays her head down on Arizona's chest. Arizona gladly wraps an arm around the blonde, holding her close, and can't help but think that the weekend can't get her soon enough.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Several days pass in much the same fashion... Arizona staying with Katie in the mornings while Callie works, then they trade off in the afternoon while Callie stays with her daughter and Arizona works. It is Friday evening now, and tomorrow is the big date night. Since deciding when the date night would be, the two women have both been looking forward to it.

Callie is currently reading another book to Katie that Arizona ordered this week and had Teddy drop off this morning. This time when Teddy dropped off the books, there were a pair of pink fluffy pajamas with little pink and white striped fluffy socks along with them. Tiny butterflies grace the sleeves in silver sparkles.

When Teddy brought them over, she couldn't help by be surprised. She shouldn't be though because the blonde has been doing little things like that, more and more. She has ordered books twice now, just this week, along with a Bluetooth speaker that she can play children's songs she bought digitally on her phone.

Callie sighs as she looks down at her watch. At this time of day, Arizona is usually sitting in the chair beside her by now, telling her about her patients from the day and asking Callie about hers. Tonight though, she is sitting alone. She hasn't heard much from the blonde today, other than a quick text this afternoon telling her she would be a little late. Arizona said it had something to do with a patient but she would be there as soon as she could.

A few more hours pass and Callie ends up running to the cafeteria to grab something before they close for the night. After ten, they offer nothing but cold cut sandwiches and Callie gets there just in time. She grabs a slice of pizza and heads back to the room, still no Arizona in sight. Knowing by now that it likely isn't a patient keeping her away, Callie starts to become a little upset. Not that she has a right to be, Arizona doesn't have to be here all the time. Arizona has been so amazing and she doesn't have to spend every waking minute here, but yet that's what she has done. Without being asked to, she has been here. Callie has grown to enjoy it though and spending time with the blonde has quickly become one of her favorite things to do.

Suddenly, Callie has a moment of panic. It is Friday night. What if… what if Arizona has a date. Surely with their own date being tomorrow, Arizona wouldn't do that. But she could if she wanted. They are just dating, so Arizona could do that. That thought is what is running through her head as she stands and tosses the now cold slice of pizza in the trash can. That is what she is still pondering as she hears a combination of foot shuffling and bag crackling, coming in through the door.

She looks back to see a smiling Arizona, whose smile falters at seeing the look on Callie's face. Hurrying to drop the bags on the small counter in the room, she rushes over to Callie.

"What's wrong? Is she ok? Are you ok?" Something is wrong and Arizona is immediately worried. Callie, however, doesn't answer. She turns around and sits back down, making it known she isn't very happy.

"Calliope, talk to me. What's wrong?" Arizona takes a knee in front of Callie, becoming worried when she tries to take the brunette's hands in her own and having Callie pull her hands away. "Calliope, please, talk to me," Arizona pleads. "Is it Katie?"

Waiting for a response, she finally gets one, but only in the form of a head shaking from side to side.

"Ok. If it's not Katie, what is it? Is it your dad? Did something happen?"

"No, Arizona. Nothing happened."

Arizona is puzzled by Callie's behavior. She hasn't been this... indifferent since before the night at Jax where they ended up dancing.

"Um, did I do something? I mean, I guess now that I think about it," Arizona says, stopping to think, "...you didn't text me back when I told you I was fixing dinner for us. Should I not have done that? Oh... You wanted time to yourself, didn't you? I just assumed you would want me to come back. I, um... There is food in the bags. Go ahead and eat and I'll just… go," Arizona says, pointing towards the door, turning to make her way out of the room.

Finally finding her voice, Callie says, "What are you talking about?"

"I should have asked if you wanted me to come back. I mean, that's what I usually do, so I assumed you would be ok with it. And when you didn't text me back, I just took that as you being ok with me fixing dinner and bringing it in. But you apparently weren't ok with it, so I'll just go ahead and um, go," Arizona says, feeling somewhat confused at the awkwardness between the two of them.

"No... I mean, the only text I got was the one you sent this afternoon saying you would be a only a little bit late. Then you don't show up until almost ten-thirty."

"I sent you a text right after I left the office. I told you I was going to be late but it was actually later than I expected. I texted you and told you I was going to go home and fix us some real food and would be here as soon as I could," Arizona says, pulling her phone out of her back pocket.

"See," Arizona says as she opens her messages. "Oh… wait," Arizona says, looking down, then flipping it over so Callie could see. "I'm so, so sorry. I typed it and thought I had hit send, but apparently my big thumb hit something else because the message is still sitting here as a draft. I'm sorry Calliope."

"So you went home to fix us dinner?"

"Yeah, I um, I fixed lasagna. I know we are both getting tired of take out, so I wanted to fix us something good for a change."

"Oh," Callie says, still not saying much.

"Wait. So, you aren't upset because I came back… You didn't get the text so, what did you think? That I just wasn't coming? Were you mad because I didn't come earlier?"

"Look, I'm sorry. I guess from where I didn't get your text, I thought you weren't coming at all."

"Calliope…," Arizona says looking at Katie. She walks over and grabs her chart. "I see Dr. Brogan made it in here to check on her earlier?"

"Yeah, she did."

"I had Teddy call over when I knew I was going to be really late and asked her to check in."

"Um, yeah. She came in during her rounds." Callie watches Arizona, amazed at how Katie is always her first priority. She should have known Arizona wasn't blowing them off.

Satisfied with the chart and how Katie is doing, she grabs Callie's hand and then the bag of food with the other hand.

"Where are we going?" Callie asks.

Arizona doesn't answer but continues to lead them to their on-call room, where she opens the door and let's Callie in first.

Callie gasps when she walks in. Candles are all around the room and a plush robe with a silk gown, along with some chocolates, are laying on the corner of the bed. "What is this?"

"You need to answer my question first. What's was wrong when I came in?"

"Arizona…" Callie draws out, not wanting to tell Arizona what was going through her mind.

"Calliope, you need to tell me. You wouldn't even hardly look at me. Were you upset because you thought I wasn't coming?"

"Maybe," Callie mumbles, looking down at her hands.

Arizona sits the bag down and leads Callie over to the bed to have a seat, then sits down next to her. She reaches over and takes her hands in her own, which Callie lets her do this time.

"Calliope, where else do you think I would want to be?"

"I um…" Callie doesn't want to tell her where she thought she might be. "It doesn't matter. I was just…having a moment."

Arizona watches her for a second before she shakes her head. "You wouldn't talk to me when I got here Calliope. I think it does…"

Standing up to put some space in between them, Callie takes her bottom lip and crushes her teeth into it. She lets out a long breath, and says quietly, " I thought maybe you had a date and that's why you weren't here."

Arizona stands and joins her, looking at her in disbelief. "I um, I thought I was pretty clear about my feelings for you, but apparently I have went wrong somewhere, Calliope. I did have to work late, because of a late call-in. Then I ended up working later than what I expected because the boy that came in had a seizure and we ended up sending him by squad straight to Mayo because we didn't have what we needed here to get them stopped. He needed someone better in neuro than what we have here. When I left, I wanted to do something for you, so I thought I would fix you the lasagna that you liked. I'm sorry the text didn't send, but I don't think I have given you any reason to think I would be out with someone else." Arizona looks at Callie, trying to figure out what else she can say. "I wanted to give you a preview of tomorrow night, so I came here first and lit some candles, which ran me further behind. I wanted to make sure you were relaxed and slept well, so that we would be rested for a nice evening tomorrow. You were the only one I wanted to spend the evening with. Not someone else."

"I know," Callie says, sheepishly. "But, technically, you could."

"But I don't want to."

"But you could. And I guess, just the thought of that, made me a little crazy."

Suddenly, knowing what she needs to do, Arizona takes Callie's hands and brings them up to her lips. "I know that we just started this… but I am all in. I am head over heels, want to spend every second I can with you, crazy about you. So, Calliope, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

Callie's eyes get big as she hears Arizona say everything that eases all of her fears. But, she hesitates, partly because she is amazed that this blue-eyed blonde can figure her out so easily and always say the right thing. The other reason is because she is afraid Arizona is only asking because she feels like she has to and that maybe Arizona wasn't quite ready yet to ask yet.

Arizona takes the pause the wrong way and lets go of Callie's hands. Giving a disbelieving chuckle, Arizona walks towards the door. "I seem to be doing everything wrong tonight. I'm going to go and give you some time. I will come by in the morning to check on Katie." With that, she gives a half-hearted smile, trying to refrain from showing Callie how much she is hurting right this second and opens the door to leave.

"Wait!" Callie's feet and mind finally catch up, and she runs to the door to grab Arizona.

Arizona pauses, turning around to face Callie.

"Arizona…. No, please don't leave. I… I would _love_ to be your girlfriend. But I just… I feel like maybe you only asked because I'm freaking out. And I want you to ask because you want to. Not because I'm having a bad day."

Pushing Callie back into the room, Arizona reaches over and turns off the lights, causing the room to glow with the lit candles. They aren't true candles, they are battery operated, but the most realistic ones Arizona had ever seen. She wasn't sure how long it would take her to get Callie in here, and didn't want to leave real ones lit. She The lights reflecting off of Callie's eyes are breathtaking.

"Calliope, I'm going to stop you right there. I..." Arizona blows the bangs that are falling into her eyes back, trying to figure out what to say. "...I will never ask you something or do something unless I am ready. I will never ask you something out of obligation or some sense of duty. I will never say something without the ability to back it up. I will never promise anything without the intent to follow through. I will never say something simply because I think it's something you want to hear. I've been ready to ask you that but I was afraid it would be too much, too soon. I don't want to date anyone else. You are it for me. Period. So, I'm going to ask one more time, Calliope," Arizona says, raising her eyebrows and giving Callie a grin. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Tears forming in her eyes, Callie smiles. "Yes. I would love nothing more than to be your girlfriend," Callie says, as Arizona smiles a dimpled smile and pulls her in for a kiss.

"There, that's the answer I was hoping for the first time," Arizona says, smiling.

"I'm sorry. I guess I have been a little crazy today," Callie says, giving a bashful shrug.

"Maybe," Arizona says, smiling. "But you are mine now, so I don't care. I can deal with a little crazy. I'm sure I'll have a turn eventually too. Now, I'm sure this is already downgraded to warm, so let's eat before it reaches the freezer level temps," Arizona says, pulling Callie over to the bed and then reaching for the bag of food and pulling out a few containers and some silverware.

As Callie opens her container, she smiles as she inhales the aroma. "This smells so good, Arizona."

"I hope so," Arizona says, handing Callie a fork. "I don't like having you not happy with me," Arizona says, quietly. "And I know it was a text incident, but I need you to talk to me the next time you aren't happy with me. I can't stand you being upset with me."

"I'm sorry. I just... let my imagination run wild today. Arizona, I'm sorry. I should have texted you instead of going crazy."

"Well, we will learn from our first misunderstanding and move on. Now, we can talk about that later, because I slaved over this and want my girlfriend to eat. It's not as good heated up."

"Are you crazy? Food is sometimes even better heated up. I think this would be great right out of the fridge."

"That's gross. So… how is it?" Arizona asks, watching Callie take a bite.

"Mmm… oh god, Arizona. This is… Mmm, sooo gooood…" Callie says slowly, watching as Arizona sits her own fork down.

All of a sudden, Arizona is hoping that sound is a preview of what she is going to hear tomorrow night. "Calliope, you need to not do that. I won't make it until tomorrow night if you do that again."

Smiling, Callie says, "Really? That bothers you that much?" Truth be told, she knew that it would wind the blonde up, and she appears to be right. And she is enjoying it.

Standing up, Arizona groans. "I have never in my life wanted someone so much. I need to go. There is a gown and a robe for you, and some nice body wash in the shower. I can't stay with you while you are eating though, so I'm going to go…"

"Arizona… come back," Callie chuckles, watching Arizona leave with her plate.

"Nope. Gotta go. I'll be with Katie…"

Callie laughs as the door shuts, leaving her alone with the candles and lasagna. "Well, it doesn't take much to get my girlfriend wound up," Callie says out loud, chuckling to herself. She stops to think about that sentence. She never thought she would have a girlfriend but she couldn't be happier about it.

As Arizona closes the door, she smiles. Today turned into a hectic day and it didn't go how she expected at all. She wouldn't trade it for anything though. She heads to check on Katie and looks through her latest labs, finishing her lasagna. She talks to Katie telling her about her day, then grabs a book to read her a bedtime story. She finishes up and leans down to give the little brunette a kiss on her cheek, then turns around to head back to Callie.

Callie is standing in the doorway when Arizona turns around. "You are amazing, Arizona Robbins," Callie says, as she hands Arizona a red rose.

"Where did you get this?" Arizona asks, knowing there was nowhere open to get flowers this late.

"I have my ways…" Callie says, smiling.

"Did you steal this from some sick patient?"

"What? No!" Callie chuckles. "But, I am resourceful…" Callie says, smiling.

"Well, it's pretty. Thank you."

"Not as pretty as you. Anyway, I came to tell her goodnight. I didn't want to get ready for bed then come out in that very, very, short and thin gown you picked out."

"Um, no. That would be for my eyes only," Arizona says, smiling. "My girlfriend in a gown like that is totally off limits to everyone else."

"Mm, I like this side of you. It's pretty hot," Callie says, leaning in and kissing Arizona. "You ready for bed?"

"Is that a good idea tonight? To stay in the same bed?"

"Arizona, I don't want to sleep without you. We have done really well keeping hands to ourselves the past week. We can do it one more night."

"Just one, right?"

"Just one. I promise," Callie says with a wink.

"Ok. But you still have to put the gown on. And leave the robe off," Arizona says, winking.

Chuckling, Callie says, "Deal. Now, you go get ready and I'm going to take my turn and say goodnight."

"Ok. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Callie watches Arizona walk off, smelling the rose and then twirling it. She gets to the end of the hall and turns around to look, smiling when she sees that Callie is still watching her. She gives a small wave and then heads go tell Katie good night.

Arizona smiles as she watches Callie disappear into Katie's room, thinking tomorrow night can't get here soon enough.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Last night was torture for Arizona Robbins. Spending the night with the woman of your dreams, wrapped in her arms, with very little on and not being able to touch her, was just almost unbearable. The only thing that got her through the night was knowing that maybe tonight would be the night. But only if that's what Callie wants.

It is now six o'clock and Barbara Robbins is nothing but punctual. "I'm here," she says, walking in with a large duffle bag around one arm and her purse in the other.

"Hey mom, what's all that?"

"Well, you know me, I always come prepared."

"Yeah, but even for you, that's a lot."

"Well, I didn't know when you would be back, so I made sure to have something to change into if I needed it," Barbara says, smirking at her daughter.

"Oh… well, I don't know that we will be that late," Callie offers, receiving a look from Arizona.

"We will play it by ear," Arizona says, wondering if Callie is starting to get cold feet about their date night.

"How has she been today? Any new changes?" Barbara asks, moving to sit in the chair next to Katie.

"Um, she has been opening her right eye some. She actually will look at you and it seems like she is following you. She still hasn't been able to open her left eye yet, but you can see her eye fluttering under her eye lid, so we know she wants to open it really bad. She is moving her fingers more frequently now. Still no whole hand movement, but we are seeing improvements. So, if she opens both eyes, give us a call and we will be here as soon as we can. We have a nice stack of books over there and her speaker is over on the table if you want to play some music through it or something."

"Gotcha. That's wonderful you are seeing her do more. I promise to call if we need you. Now, you two get out of here and enjoy your evening. Or morning too if that's what you decide. I have no plans so I'm good for the long haul."

"Mom…"

"Go, get out of here. Let me spend some time with this sweetie."

"Thank you Mrs. Robbins," Callie says, then receives a look from Barbara. "…. Barbara…sorry," Callie says, correcting herself after a look from the older woman.

"Anytime. Now… get going. Have fun," she says, then looks to her daughter and gives her a knowing look, causing Arizona to blush.

"Ok. See you… when we see you then. I'll text you later."

The women make it to the car and start to pull out of the parking lot and Callie becomes very quiet. "You ok?" Arizona asks.

"Oh. Um, yeah. I'm fine. We just, never really talked about what all we are doing. I mean, I'm still in my jeans and haven't had a chance to get ready. I guess I didn't think this part through."

"Well, I have to be honest, when I first planned this night, I wanted us to get all fancied up and go out to a nice dinner. And while I think that sounds amazing, I decided that something a little more laid back might suit us. Unless you want fancy," Arizona says, having second thoughts about her plans, looking over at Callie.

"No, right now, as long as I am with my beautiful girlfriend, I'm ok," Callie says. "So, what does that mean we are doing then?"

"Um, going back to my house..." Arizona says, hoping Callie doesn't panic. "I mean, we don't have to do anything. I just… It's just that we are so tired of eating out and being around other people. So, I made sure last night when I went to the store, that I got what we needed for tonight too. That way we could eat some real food and have some alone time. Even if it us just talking without other people listening."

"Well, you are definitely right about the eating out thing. I'm so over that," Callie says, laughing. "And I agree," Callie nods, "...that we could use some alone time."

Arizona smiles, glad Callie doesn't seem to be too worried about the time alone. They make small talk on the way to Arizona's and Callie is surprised she isn't more nervous than what she is. She knows what is more than likely going to happen tonight, and although she is beyond ready for it, a tiny part of her is just a little nervous. Not about sleeping with Arizona so much as hoping she is enough for the blonde.

Walking in the front door of Arizona's, Callie already smells something wonderful. "What is that smell? It smells delicious."

"Well, I might have gotten things ready last night and had Teddy come over just a few minutes ago to put a few things on. I knew I didn't want to spend all night in the kitchen, which is another reason why I was a little later last night. I wanted tonight to be perfect."

"I'm sorry I was such a moron last night," Callie says, feeling even more guilty for doubting the blonde.

"Enough of that, ok? We have moved on. Now... follow me," Arizona says, leading Callie up to her bedroom.

As they walk in, Callie starts to get nervous, and as Arizona pulls her to a stop beside the bed, she turns around to take in Callie's wide eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Um, uh, nothing. I just, didn't think we would head straight up here. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I thought we would..."

"Calliope... I'm not rushing you. I promise. I didn't bring you up here to take advantage of you," Arizona says, wondering why Callie would think that, but then again, she did just bring her straight to the bedroom. "I was trying to give you a little preview last night, but I found this amazing bubble bath that goes with the shower gel I bought you. I just thought that while I'm fixing dinner, you could take a nice, hot bubble bath. Then I got you something I thought would look nice on you, to relax in afterwards," Arizona says, moving to grab a box off of the dresser, that is wrapped with a bow. Handing the box to Callie, she says, "I know there's been a lot going on the past few weeks. I just wanted you to have a nice relaxing evening. And if you aren't ready for anything else tonight, then that's fine. I just wanted you to have a nice evening and I am just lucky enough to be a part of it." Arizona's dimples come out in force as she watches Callie.

"Just when I think you can be any more perfect, you go and do things like this."

"I'm far from perfect. Now, sit down while I go run your bath."

Arizona disappears into the bathroom and comes back out a few minutes later. "There, it's all ready. Now, you go hop in and enjoy it. Just come down when you are done," Arizona says, as she leans in to give Callie a kiss. Callie depends it by pulling Arizona in by the back of the neck.

"Mm," Arizona says, pulling away. I could do that all evening, but you have bubbles and candles waiting. And the kitchen is calling my name. So, take your time, enjoy it, and I'll see you in a little bit," Arizona says, picking the box up and handing it to Callie as she leaves the brunette standing there.

Callie watches Arizona leave, then carries the wrapped box into the bathroom with her. Walking in, she is amazed at the candles that are lighting the small bathroom. This time, the candles are real and the bubbles look inviting. She takes her clothes off and slowly climbs into the tub, a contented sigh as she settles into the water. She leans her head back and finds a small pillow that cradles her head perfectly away from the coldness of the top of the tub.

She takes a minute to appreciate everything the blonde headed woman has done for her lately. She has been nothing but patient and kind, considerate and understanding, every step of the way. Although she is somewhat nervous about the evening ahead, she is also excited and anxious to spend the evening with Arizona, wherever it leads them.

Thinking about being intimate with the blonde, Callie can't help but let her mind wonder about what it will be like. She always considered herself good in bed, but this is new territory for her. Maybe she won't be cut out for this with Arizona. She shakes her head, deciding she doesn't want those thoughts to interfere with her night.

After finishing her bath, she dries off and reaches for the box Arizona gave her. She is surprised by what she finds when she unwraps it. She expected some sort of sexy lingerie. What she finds instead is a pair of super soft lounge pants and a tight fitting, long sleeve top. Shaking her head and grinning, she has to wonder why she got the lingerie last night while they had a no touching rule, and tonight, she has everything covered. Chuckling, she puts the items on and folds her clothes from earlier, and sets them to the side. She looks in the mirror then down to the counter and sees that Arizona has set a brush and some lotion next to the sink, with a tooth brush still in the package and a tube of toothpaste. She smiles at how thoughtful Arizona was, with taking every need into consideration. Of course there were no underwear or bra, but that was probably by design, she thinks as she reaches for the brush and gently guides it through her hair, taking the few tangles out that had graced the ends.

In the kitchen, Arizona is putting the steaks she just took out of her cast iron skillet, onto a plate. She put them in some marinade last night and they smell divine. She reaches for the cheesy side dish Teddy already had in the oven and then finishes it with some buttered vegetables. She is just putting the plates on the table next to where the salad bowl already awaits, when Callie walks in.

"It smells so good in here," Callie says, making her way over to the table.

"Well, hopefully it tastes as good as it smells. Sometimes things can surprise you that way," Arizona says, grinning.

"I'm sure it will be fantastic."

"Here, have a seat," Arizona says, pulling the chair out for Callie to sit down. "Your clothes look nice," Arizona says, taking in the way the top hugs Arizona.

"Thanks. I um, I have to say, I was kind of surprised at what you picked out. I kind of expected there to be a little less… material," Callie says, raising her eyebrows and giving Arizona a smirk.

Arizona gives a sheepish smile and shrugs her shoulders. "I didn't want you to feel any kind of pressure. I didn't want to give you something like I gave you last night and then think I expected something. I just… wanted you to feel comfortable and not feel like you have this, this…. pressure on you."

"Thank you," Callie simply says. Then as an afterthought, she adds, "But, the no bra thing, that was for your benefit?"

"You caught me. Just goes to show you that I'm not that perfect," Arizona says, pouring them each some wine as she lets her dimples show. "I have a bit of a selfish side showing," she says, smirking.

"I think you are pretty perfect to me," Callie says, giving Arizona a warm smile as she notices the blush creep up in Arizona's cheeks.

Arizona gives a bashful smile, then says, "Let's eat before it gets cold."

Callie and Arizona chat effortlessly, about anything and everything, while they are eating. Lots of flirty talk and laughs over a delicious meal. It's their first meal together outside the hospital alone, and both women are enjoying every second of it.

"Here, let me get that," Callie says, taking the plates from Arizona as she heads to the sink.

"No, I am taking you out, or in this case, keeping you in, so I am doing the dishes."

"See, I think since you made such a delicious dinner and spoiled me, I should do the dishes and you can go get comfy."

"No, I'll do them. You just go sit your pretty self over there on the stool and talk to me."

"Arizona," Callie says, raising her eyebrows. " I insist. Go, get comfy. I will have these done in no time. Besides, you already did the pre-cleaning of having the pots and pans already done. So… go."

Sighing, Arizona says, "You are a stubborn woman, you know that?"

"Well, sometimes. But maybe I'm just being selfish and want to see if you come back down with no bra on too," Callie says, raising her eyebrows.

Laughing, Arizona leans in to give the brunette a kiss, then heads off to get situated. She decides to take a quick shower and then puts on her lounge set that matches Callie's. Never in a million years did she think she wanted to be "that" couple that matched, but while she was planning tonight, she saw them and couldn't resist. She sends a quick text off to her mom and double checks on Katie before they continue on with their evening.

She walks back downstairs and finds Callie sitting on the couch with her head leaned back, eyes closed. She stops and watches her. She watches as Callie must have an itch, because the brunette scrunches her nose and lifts her hand up to scratch it. She leans back slightly further into the couch and Arizona is sure that whether the brunette is in sexy lingerie or matching lounge sets, she is the most stunning woman she has ever been with.

As the last thought hits her, she realizes that this is the first actual girlfriend she has had since college. She stands there for another few seconds before she makes her way over to the couch, and sits down by Callie, causing her to open her eyes and look over at Arizona.

It takes all of three seconds before it dawns on her that they match. Callie allows a grin to break free, finding it totally adorable.

"We match! And look at you," Callie says, leaning over to give Arizona a kiss. Pulling back, her eyes drift down to Arizona's chest. "…no bra, I really, really like that," Callie says, noting the blushing cheeks of her girlfriend.

"Or underwear," Arizona says, giving Callie a bashful look. "I couldn't let you be the only one without them."

"Oh, that's what I wanted to hear," Callie says, reaching over to pull Arizona in for a kiss, as Arizona brings her hand up to run along Callie's cheek.

Pulling back from the kiss, Arizona says, "I texted my mom and Katie is fine. So… I um, I have a few movies if you want to pick one. Or…"

Callie cuts Arizona off, saying, "First of all… thank you for checking on Katie. As far as what to do now… we can just skip the movie," Callie says, taking her finger and running it down Arizona's jaw line.

"Oh. Um, then what else do you have in mind then?" Arizona asks, watching Callie as she feels the brunette's finger trailing down her neck and onto her chest, tracing the edge of her top.

"I think you know," Callie says, with a lustful look overtaking her.

"Are you sure? I mean, I have movies and we can watch them and cuddle here. It's not a problem to just stay down here."

Callie doesn't say anything else. She stands, pulling Arizona up with her. As they make it into Arizona's room, there are some candles that have been lit. "I see you were prepared," Callie says grinning.

"No, it's not like that. I mean, I didn't want to come up here and not have any lit, but I wasn't expecting it. I don't want you to feel like we need to do anything. Like I said, we can stay on the couch and cuddle. I'm good with that."

"Arizona," Callie says, reaching for Arizona's hands. "You have made me the happiest woman in the world, just in a short amount of time. You have been so good to me and my daughter. I know you are afraid of rushing this, but we aren't. Arizona, I can tell by what we are wearing that you want me to be comfortable. And I love that you are so caring… but, I need you to know how much you mean to me. Arizona, I," Callie looks up, trying to keep her tears from spilling out of her eyes. "Nobody has ever made me feel this way before. Ever. I can tell you are worried, but I am so ready for this. I promise. Let me show you..."

Arizona has been hanging on every word Callie has said, and truly believes the brunette is ready for this moment. As Callie leans in to give Arizona a kiss, it starts off softly, but quickly heats up.

Arizona has always been the woman who loves to take charge in the bedroom. With Callie though, she is more than ready to let the brunette lead. It doesn't take long before Callie backs Arizona up and pushes her gently down onto the mattress.

Looking up into Callie's eyes, she takes her hands and runs them over Callie's top for a few seconds, her hands trailing across her stomach and off to her sides, bringing them back around to her stomach, just to do it once more. She then takes her hands and lowers them just below the bottom of Callie's top, then runs them up the inside of it. When her fingers make contact with the skin she finds there, she moves her hands around Callie's sides, and then around to her back, pulling her closer.

As Callie moves closer, Arizona lightly tugs the bottom of her shirt up ever so slightly, so that she can place small kisses over Callie 's stomach. Looking up, Arizona says, "Calliope…"

Callie cuts her off by nudging Arizona back further onto the mattress. Once they are situated, Arizona does much the same with her hands. Eventually, Callie slips her hands under the tight material of Arizona's top, gently pushing it up. Once she has the shirt to where she can't move it up any more, she says, "You need to take this off." Arizona then sits up and Callie is quick to pull it up over Arizona's head.

This is the first time Callie has seen Arizona without being covered up, and she takes a moment to admire the blonde. "You are so beautiful Arizona," Callie says, gently running her hand down Arizona's jaw line that she has come to love. She sits up and holds her arms up, indicating she wants Arizona to take hers off as well.

"Are you sure?"

"Please…" Callie says, giving Arizona a nod.

Arizona removes Callie's top and is in complete awe of the woman in front of her. She knew everything about Callie would be beautiful, but she didn't think she would be utterly breathtaking.

"Calliope…" Arizona breathes out, unable to form words. "You are… You are so beautiful."

"I think that was my line," Callie says, smiling.

"I feel like the luckiest woman in the world right now. I have never been happier, and it's all because of you."

"Arizona, I'm the lucky one. I know I have been preoccupied with Katie, and…"

"And that's how it should be, Calliope. Your dedication to your daughter is what makes you just that much more perfect to me."

"See, you are perfect," Callie says, pulling Arizona in for another kiss.

It doesn't take long before Callie's hands start to roam and she decides she needs more. "Lift up a little," Callie says, reaching to pull the comforter down so that she can bring it up to cover both of them up. With the changing seasons, the air is starting to have a hint of a chill in it, and she doesn't want Arizona to get cold. Now that they are covered, she moves her hands underneath Arizona's pajama bottoms, pulling her impossibly closer. "These need to go next," Callie whispers into Arizona's ear.

Obliging, Arizona pauses to push her pants down her legs, tossing the pants onto the floor. Arizona takes the opportunity and looks at Callie, seeking permission to remove hers as well. Callie answers by lifting up slightly, allowing Arizona to remove them.

Once they are both free of their clothing, Arizona wraps her arms around Callie and they both let out a moan as Arizona begins to kiss her. Pulling back, Arizona looks at Callie. She doesn't ask the question that is on her mind. Because she has already asked, and Callie assured her she was ready. Instead, what she says is something that she can't keep inside any longer.

"Calliope…," Arizona says, looking into the big brown eyes above her. "I need you to know that this isn't another fling for me. I am in this, one hundred percent. I… I am so, so in love with you."

Feeling tears welling up in her eyes, Callie can't help but smile. "I,"

"Stop," Arizona says, almost sadly. "Don't say anything you aren't ready to say. I…"

Arizona is cut off, by Callie kissing her. Pulling away, Callie says, "I am so in love with you too. And I'm not just saying that because I feel like I have to. I love you. So much, Arizona. Let me show you…" Callie's supports herself with one arm as she takes her other hand and cups Arizona's face. Her words trail off as she leans down and begins kissing Callie slowly.

Arizona has never felt as cared for as she does in this moment. She looks up into Callie's eyes, and she can't believe how lucky she is. "Make love to me, Calliope…"

XXXXXXX

A few hours later, the two women are still laying in bed, arms and legs wrapped around each other. Both women equally exhausted after spending time getting to know one another intimately.

"I love you," Callie whispers into the ear she is currently nibbling on.

"Mmm. I love you too," Arizona says, while running her hands up and down Callie's smooth back.

"I feel closer to you than I have felt to anyone else my entire life," Callie says, as she moves to lay her head on Arizona's chest.

"I know exactly what you mean. I have never been in love before now. I can say it is the best feeling in the world."

"Never?" Callie seems surprised by that.

"No. Not until now. It is the best feeling. Nothing has ever compared to this."

"The only other thing that compares is being a mom. When I held Katie for the first time, well, there are just no words for it. It is an immediate love. There are no conditions to it, you just love."

"I hope you know I love that little girl too. I know I don't know her yet, but, I love her."

"I know you do. You show it in your actions. And I can tell you do things for her because you want to, and not because you have to."

"Calliope, you and Katie came into my life so unexpectedly. You came in and turned my world upside down. I was drawn to Katie before I even knew she was yours. I just felt like I had to be the one to help her. It's… it's hard to explain."

"We were just meant to be," Callie says, drawing invisible patterns on Arizona's stomach. "You were what I didn't know I needed. You go through life and think you have it all. Then someone comes out growling because you are in their parking space and turns your world upside down."

Laughing, Arizona says, "My world was the one turned upside down."

"Well, maybe I can turn your world upside down again," Callie says, looking up and wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh my," Arizona says in a husky voice. "Here I was, worried about you being uncomfortable, but when we are in bed, you are totally in your element."

"I love sex, Arizona. I hope that isn't a problem?" Callie raises her eyebrows and smirks, as she watches Arizona's eyes grow wide.

"Calliope, that will never be a problem," Arizona says, suddenly flipping them. "And I can't believe you have never done this before… because you are sooo good at it," Arizona says, as she bends down to kiss along Callie's neck.

"I guess the love of the game makes up for inexperience," Callie giggles.

"Well, then you really love it, because you blew my mind. I just hope it was what you expected," Arizona says, her smile faltering just a little.

"Arizona," Callie says, reaching up to pull Arizona down for a kiss. "As far as the sex goes… You, my love, gave me three orgasms in a row. I have NEVER done that before. That should tell you all you need to know about the sex."

"Really?"

"Really. But beyond that, I have never loved someone like I love you. So this, tonight, is more than I ever imagined it could be. I love you so much."

"I love you too. Now, if it's alright with you, I want to show you again how much I love you…" Arizona says, kissing her way down Callie's body.

"Mmm….show away…." Callie says, as she watches Arizona disappear under the blankets.

AN: I had some requests to change this to an M rating. That's not my thing. I have heard other writers say it, and I agree… some things need left to the imagination.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

There are many different ways to be woken up. Alarms can go off, the smell of breakfast in the air, babies crying causing a mother to panic, phones ringing, tender kisses on the back of the shoulder... the list goes on. Some ways are more pleasurable than others. The way Arizona Robbins was woken up this morning, well, it was more pleasurable than any other way she could have imagined.

As Callie makes her way back up Arizona's body, out from under the covers, Arizona can't wipe the smile off her face. "I didn't think it was possible to love you more than I did last night, but I think I do," Arizona says, causing Callie to giggle. "But, I am being sincere when I say it really has nothing to do with what you just did."

"I love you too. I really wanted to let you sleep longer since we were up so late last night, but... I couldn't resist. I can't get enough of you, Arizona Robbins," Callie says, leaning down to kiss on Arizona's neck.

"I'm not complaining. You can feel free to do that, anytime," Arizona says, leaning to give Callie a kiss. Callie hesitates, and Arizona senses why. "It doesn't bother me. Come here…"

Callie smiles and leans in to give Arizona a kiss. "So I have an open invitation to wake you like that, any time I want?"

"Oh yeah. Consider this your ongoing, open invitation. But I have to ask, do I get one of those too?"

"Oh, I could probably be persuaded..."

"And what would I need to do, to persuade you?" Arizona smirks as she rolls Callie over and starts kissing down her chest, then to her stomach.

"Oh, you are headed the right direction with that persuasion technique," Callie says, smiling.

"Glad I seem to be on to something," Arizona says, working her way down a little farther.

"Um, I think you just found the ticket..." Callie sighs happily, as Arizona looks up to see Callie fisting the sheets above her head.

XXXXXXX

A little while later, the two women have made their way to the shower, together. After a little longer than should have been necessary, they finally finish getting ready and make their way downstairs. Arizona planned ahead and had Teddy leave some fresh donuts on the porch. She realizes she really owes Teddy, big time.

Retrieving the donuts, Arizona makes her way back to the kitchen to find Callie making some coffee. "I see you found what you needed?"

"Arizona, I'd have to be blind if I didn't. You had it all laid out, right by the coffee maker."

"Well, I was just checking," Arizona says, laughing. "I'm going to call mom. I texted her before we fell asleep and told her we would be there by ten. Obviously, we are a few minutes late," Arizona giggles.

Callie pours their coffee as Arizona opens up the donuts, then pulls her phone out to call her mom. She no sooner picks it up to dial and the phone starts ringing. Looking down, Arizona says, "It's my mom."

"Oh no. Katie...," Callie says, beginning to panic.

Arizona reaches over and pulls Callie close as she answers the phone, placing it on speaker so that Callie can hear too. "Mom, is everything ok?"

"Oh, Katie's fine sweetie. I just wanted to let you know there was a man here earlier. I don't know who he was but I wanted to let you know in case Callie was expecting someone."

"Is he still there? My friend Mark said he was going to try to come visit this weekend. He didn't make it yesterday, so I would say it was probably him."

"He came in and looked, then turned around and left. He hasn't been back, so I don't know if he is still in the hospital or not."

"If he comes back again, just tell him I'm on my way. He probably felt weird since he didn't know you," Callie says, already reaching for her shoes.

"Ok... We are on our way. Thanks mom."

Hanging up and putting her shoes on as well, Callie watches Arizona as she grabs her jacket.

The two women talk all the way the hospital, Arizona's hand not leaving Callie's hand or thigh the whole way back. She can't help but feel the need to have some sort of physical contact with the woman. "So, you didn't tell me Mark was supposed to come," Arizona says, looking over at Callie.

"I honestly forgot until your mom mentioned it. He texted me Friday afternoon and said he hoped to make it. He felt bad since he hadn't seen her in a few weeks."

Arizona is glad she has Mark, because she doesn't seem to have a ton of support from her family. Financially, yes. Emotionally, not so much. Mark seems to fill the void, and she knows that Addie and Christina have been checking in with her more often lately too. "I'm glad he is coming."

Callie looks at Arizona, wanting to gage if she is being totally truthful, and she can tell that she is. When she was married to George, Mark wasn't supposed to be in the picture at all and the two never got along. She is extremely thrilled that Arizona seems nothing but supportive.

They arrive at the hospital and make their way into Katie's room to find Barb sitting by the little girl, telling her stories. No book in hand, but once again telling stories about a young Arizona.

"Mom...," Arizona says, as Callie let's go of her hand and makes her way over to Katie. "Quit telling her stories about me," Arizona says, as she starts laughing.

"Never," Barbara says, standing to face the newcomers. "What would be the fun in keeping all of those stories to myself?"

"Well, better to keep them to yourself than make me look bad," Arizona chuckles.

"Well, I for one can't wait to hear them all for myself," Callie says, squeezing Arizona's hand. "So, has Mark been back?"

"No dear. Haven't seen him again. Was just strange he wouldn't even say hi. He wasn't a very friendly man."

"Oh, he is. Just more... cocky than anything. He probably got side tracked with a nurse or something," Callie says, laughing.

"He one of those player types?" Barbara asks.

"Not like he used to be. He has settled down a great deal. Supposedly he is in a relationship now and has retired his womanizing ways. So, we will see."

Arizona walks back into the hall and makes her way back in, with a tablet in hand. She pulls up Katie's chart from earlier and reads through the morning lab report.

"Calliope, some of her numbers are really improving today. Hopefully that means we will start to some more progress soon," Arizona says, hopefully.

"We hope you are right, don't we Katie?" Callie has been standing beside the bed, cradling Katie's hand. She pulls her hand up to place kisses on it, holding it up beside her cheek for a minute.

"So girls, did you have a nice evening out?" Barbara can already tell the two seem closer. Arizona can't take her eyes off the blonde woman.

"Oh, um, yeah. You know, we had dinner, watched some movies..."

"Sure you did," Barbara says, smirking at her daughter. "I will just let you stick with that story, Ok?"

"Mom...," Arizona mumbles, as she looks over to see Callie blushing.

Callie is somewhat embarassed, but also amused at the openness between the mom and daughter.

"I'm just saying... Anyway, I better be going. I am going to meet one of the ladies from bingo for a late lunch," Barbara says, standing up to gather her things.

"Thank you so much, Barbara. You don't have any idea how much I appreciate it," Callie says, watching Barbara lean over to give Katie a kiss on the forehead. Callie smiles to herself, wondering how in the world she got lucky enough to find the Robbins family. It's almost a little overwhelming how supportive Arizona's mom seems to be.

"Anytime girls. It was my pleasure. I'm only a phone call away if you need me."

"Thanks mom. Why don't I walk you out," Arizona offers. Turning to Callie, she says, "I'll be right back," as she leans in and gives her a kiss. When she turns around, her mom is smiling, but doesn't say anything.

As Arizona and her mom make their way to the entrance, her mom turns and watches her daughter. "You really love her, don't you?

"Yeah, I do," Arizona says, grinning. "I know we have had an unconventional start to our relationship. I mean, last night was our first date. But, she is amazing mom. She keeps me on my toes. She is funny, smart, incredibly beautiful. I don't think I could have dreamed up someone any more perfect."

"I'm glad you are happy. She seems good for you. I know we haven't had a chance to talk much really since you found out she has a daughter. You are ok with that? I mean, obviously, you are. But how do you really feel about it? You never really mentioned kids a whole lot."

"Mom, I have always believed we meet the right people at the right time in our lives. When I got Katie's file, I was so drawn to it. I had this need to help her, without knowing who she was. Now that I do, I just… I can't explain it. I feel like I need to be there for her. I don't really have a choice in it. Not because if I want Calliope, I have to take the kid too. But, I feel a need to really be there for her. I know I don't really know her yet, but, we are so hopeful that will change soon. But I know I already love her. I would move heaven and earth if I could for those two. They have completed my life in a way I didn't even know I needed. I can't even explain it, mom."

"That's what love does to you. It consumes you. I'm glad you found it Arizona. I'm sure you are going to face some challenges, so remember, I'm here if you need to talk. And I'm always here if you need a babysitter. You need to keep her mom sane. A mom loves her kids, but she needs some "me" time, even if she doesn't realize it. When you and your brother were little, I hated to leave the two of you to go out with your dad. But, he insisted that we do it. And I'm glad he did. We needed that time. And he let me go out with friends every now and then. It wasn't always he and I going out. He knew what I needed before I did."

"Thanks, mom," Arizona says, taking in everything her mom just said, then giving her a hug.

Upstairs, Callie pulls out her phone to text Mark, to see where he is. "Hey, sounds like you might have been in to see Katie already. Where are you?" Sitting with Katie, she puts her phone down, and takes Katie's hands. As soon as she picks her hand up, Katie's fingers start to move. "Hey sweet girl. Mommy is right here. I missed you last night. I hope you had fun with Barbara. She seems to like spending time with you."

Callie looks over just as both of Katie's eyes open. Callie is so excited, she stands and leans over to where Katie can see her. "Katie! Hey baby. It's mommy. I am right here with you. Look at those beautiful eyes," Callie says, with tears forming in her own. "Oh sweetheart, I can't believe I am looking at both of those big, brown eyes of yours." Callie leans down to give her a kiss, and when she raises up, Arizona is walking back into the room, and starts to panic when she sees Callie with tears in her eyes.

"Hey…. What's wrong?" Arizona says, as she makes her way over to the bed, and catches why Callie is so emotional. A big smile spreads across Arizona's face, as she takes in the two eyes, watching her mommy intently. "Calliope…" Arizona says, overjoyed at the scene taking place before her. Every little thing that happens with Katie, is one step in the right direction. Having not one, but both eyes open, is a major improvement for Katie.

"Hey big girl," Arizona says, watching Katie's eyes flicker over to her, causing Arizona's smile to grow impossibly wider. "I have been waiting to see those eyes. They are beautiful, just like your mommy's," Arizona says, putting her arm around Callie and pulling her a little closer.

"Arizona, I can't believe it."

"I know. She's improving. You are getting your little girl back."

The women spend almost an hour, standing by Katie's bed, talking to her, watching her eyes bounce back and forth between the two women. Her hand even begins to twitch and Arizona confirms to Callie that was probably indicative of Katie trying to move it on her own, and not just muscle spasms. She explained that her muscles are very weak and that it will take a little more work to make them move. Not that Callie didn't already know that, but in this moment, she is mom, not Dr. Torres.

Later that evening, after Katie's eyes closed for what they thought was probably a well-deserved nap, the two women were surprised by Teddy and Addison showing up.

"Hey guys," Teddy says, as she is the first one to make it through the door. How are things going in here? How's the munchkin?"

"Hey! What are you guys doing here?" Arizona says, seeing the two friends come in.

"We haven't had much time to really catch up lately. We missed you guys. So… how is she?"

"It's good to see you guys," Callie says. "She is improving all the time. Every day she opens her eyes for a little longer. Today, she actually had them both open, for a long time. She is a tough little girl."

"Well, sounds like she gets that from her mom," Teddy says.

"It's good to hear that she is improving. Mandy is actually on her way. She has the goodies," Addie says, raising her eyebrows.

"Goodies?" Arizona asks.

"Yes. Lots of goodies. We had a football watch party last night and we had all kinds of food left. So, we decided to bring some leftovers."

"Leftovers... That means you ate all the good stuff and this is the stuff nobody wanted?" Arizona asks, chuckling.

"No... these are amazing leftovers. It's just, we had too many leftovers. You don't get second rate leftovers, Arizona."

Callie laughs, watching the two. "So, Addie are you ready for tomorrow? Looks like you really packed the appointments tight. I just logged in a little bit ago to check the schedule."

"Yeah, sorry about that. We have been getting more and more calls, so I was trying to cram a few more in. Which is good, but makes for a busy morning. It will get easier when you are back to full days."

"Yeah, hopefully we get this little one here back to old self soon," Callie says,

"You'll get there. Sooner rather than later, from the sounds of it."

"I hope so," Callie says. "So, what kind of party did you guys have last night?"

"Oh, just your usual drunken game night. We put the game on then pay no attention to it. It's more of an excuse to get together to drink and eat lots of junk food."

"Sounds like a good time," Callie says.

"It usually is. There were a few people asking where you were, Arizona," Teddy says, giving her a look.

Arizona notices and sees Callie look at her out of the corner of her eye, watching her for a reaction.

"I had better places to be," Arizona says, without missing a beat, causing Callie to smile.

"So, we had a thought and we wanted to run it by you two," Addie says, looking to Teddy then back to the two women.

"Which is?" Arizona asks, curious as to what the two are up to now.

"You guys can't keep staying here, all night every night. Believe it or lot, there are other doctors here that might need that on call room. We know you want to he close we get that. But let the two of us, and actually, Mandy said she would take a turn as well. But let is all rotate through and stay a night during the week. That way you guys can go home and get a good night's sleep. You are going to wear yourselves out."

"I can't ask you guys to do that," Callie says, shaking her head.

"Haven't you figured out we don't ask a lot in this town. We all see what needs done and we pitch in to help. And you are a strong woman and we know you don't need our help. But, we want to. So, let us help. Starting tonight. I brought clothes to stay," Teddy says.

"Teddy, I appreciate it. But I can't let you do that. You have work tomorrow."

"Look, we start later than you. I have more time. We thought Mandy and I could take a few weeknights and Addie could take a weekend night since she has early mornings like you. We have it all planned. We really want to help."

"Calliope," Arizona says, watching her girlfriend wipe away a tear. "I think they are onto something. It's your call, but it would help you to get a little more rest. You are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, but you still have a long way to go."

Thinking for a few seconds, Callie studies the three women, then looks back at Katie. "Ok. You can help."

"Sweet! I think this will be fantastic. You need to get more rest, because this one will keep you busy once she gets moving."

"I know. I can't wait," Callie says.

"Food is finally here…," Mandy says, making her way into the room with her hands full.

"Mandy, it's good to see you," Callie says, standing to help take things from her to set them out.

"We missed you two," Mandy says, handing things over to Callie. And sitting the rest down. "Now, lets dig in before it gets cold."

The ladies continue to talk and catch up, as they all notice how much closer Callie and Arizona seem.

"So, I hear you two had a big first date last night. How was it?" Mandy was the one who asked. She couldn't hold it in any longer.

The two women looked at each other and smiled. "It was really nice," Callie volunteered.

"Nice? That's what Arizona's mom says about her quilting club meetings. We want details! Every dirty one," Teddy says, mischievously, giving the two a raised eyebrow.

"Well Teddy," Callie says, deciding to play Teddy's game, and whispering to where Katie couldn't hear, "…it was mind blowing. She does this thing with her tongue… Mmm."

"Ok! It's getting late. Shouldn't you guys be heading home?" Teddy covers her ears while jumping up out of her seat, causing the other women to burst out laughing.

"The look on her face...," Arizona says, as she continues to laugh, squeezing Callie's leg with her hand. "That look is priceless right there!" She points at Teddy as her mouth is still hanging open. "Don't ask for details if you can't handle them!" Turning to Callie, she says "And that's part of why I love you."

The minute those words leave her mouth, Teddy gasps. "Did Arizona Robbins just say what I think she said?"

"Yep," Arizona says, as she smiles looking at Callie. "I love her. So much."

"And I love her," Callie says. Looking from Arizona to Teddy.

"Well, I would say it was a pretty productive date night then," Mandy says, chuckling.

"Yep, more than you know," Callie smirks.

The women wrap up their time together and all of them but Teddy make their way outside, as she is staying with Katie tonight. After saying goodbye to Addie and Mandy, Arizona walks Callie to her car.

"So…" Arizona starts. "Oh! Did mark ever text you back?"

"No. But I'm assuming we weren't here and he didn't want to wait around, so he went home and ended up busy."

Nodding, Arizona says, "Well, I hate that you missed him," she says quietly. "So, we are going home."

"Yeah. It looks that way," Callie agrees, wondering if Arizona is thinking the same thing she is... That she hates to go home alone. After spending so many nights together, she hates the thought of spending it away from the blonde.

"Ok," Arizona says, wondering if she would be too needy if she were to ask Callie to spend the night with her. After all, they are only dating. They are allowed to spend time apart.

Callie leans in to give Arizona a kiss then turns back around and opens her door. She then immediately shuts it. She turns back around and takes Arizona's hands in hers. "I um, I know that we should probably both go home. To our own houses. But we have spent every night together for a few weeks now. And I just, I…"

"Can I go home with you?" Arizona asks, cutting Callie off, looking hopeful but almost afraid to ask.

"I thought you were going to let me leave," Callie says, pulling Arizona in for a kiss.

"I didn't want to assume you felt the same way I did. I was trying to give you space. But I just can't stand to be away from you. So, are you sure? Because we can take a night apart. I don't want to smother you or anything," Arizona says quietly. "I mean, you haven't been here long and maybe you just want to spend a night in your new house by yourself. I mean, I know you have a lot of things, like laundry to get caught up on."

"Arizona, I love you. I don't need time apart. And, you can help me do laundry. You could even take these clothes off and throw them in the washer with mine," Callie says, leaning in to nibble on Arizona's ear.

"I don't have anything else to wear."

"I know," Callie says, raising her eyebrows.

"I'll be right behind you. I love you," Arizona says, smiling, rushing to get in her own car, causing Callie to laugh.

"I love you too," Callie yells.

While on their way back home, Callie's phone rings. When she answers, Mark's voice comes through the speakers in her car.

"Hey, I saw you texted me earlier. What was that about?" Mark asks.

"Well, it sounded like you were at the hospital. I just wanted you to know that we were on our way. I didn't want you to leave before we got there."

"I wasn't there this morning. I had an emergency surgery come up that I was called in for."

"Oh. Well, Arizona's mom said someone was there. I just assumed it was you."

"They didn't leave a name?"

"No. She said some guy walked in and then left. I thought it was weird you wouldn't have stayed, but I figured you maybe got sidetracked by a nurse or something."

"Thanks for that. I can control myself."

"Whatever Mark," Callie says, laughing. "Well, I'm sure it was just someone from the hospital then."

"Probably. That's the funny thing about hospitals... all kinds of people around. So, how are things with you and blondie?"

"Mark, I don't even have words. She is… amazing."

"You dipped your toes in the lady water yet?"

"Mark. That's not even a question I am going to answer."

"Oh, come on! I always tell you stuff."

"Yeah, even when I don't want to know your stuff. This is different Mark. I… I love her."

"Wow. That's a pretty big statement, so soon."

"I know it hasn't been long. But I do… I love her. She is…amazing. In every way. She is so caring and attentive, and it just blows my mind she loves me too."

"She said it back?"

"She said it first. I have never had someone like that in my life Mark."

"Thanks for that. I feel like chopped liver over here now."

"You know what I mean," Callie chuckles.

"Yeah, I do. Well, maybe next weekend I can actually make it. I'd like to get to know your woman a little better. Maybe I can give you some pointers."

"Judging by last night, I don't need them." As soon as she says it, she does a mental face palm. She really didn't mean to say that.

"Ha! I knew it! How was it?"

"I'm going to go Mark. Love you!"

"Callie…"

"Bye… See you this weekend, got to go…," Callie yells into the phone laughing, before she hangs up. She decides she is not giving him details of last night, no matter how much he begs.

After thinking of last night, her mind drifts to tonight. She can't wait to get home and repeat it.

After pulling into her garage, she motions for Arizona to pull in next to hers. After walking into the house and setting their things down, Callie pulls Arizona through the house.

"Where are we going in such a hurry?" Arizona asks, laughing.

"To do laundry. I need you out of those clothes," Callie replies, causing Arizona to laugh even more.

"Well, if doing laundry means you want to get me naked, I'm up for laundry anytime," Arizona smirks, already pulling her shirt over her head.

Where last night was loving and gentle, tonight Arizona is getting the feeling it will be a little more…exciting, as Callie is pulling her shirt off as well as she walks into the laundry room. She then pushes Arizona against the wall.

"Arizona, you are the sexiest woman I have ever laid eyes on," Callie says, as she makes quick work of pulling her pants off, as well as Arizona's, before she starts to kiss Callie passionately.

"Calliope. Hurry and put that load of clothes in the washer. We need your bed. Now," Arizona says, as Callie makes her way down her neck, wasting no time in getting the blonde worked up.

"I can't wait that long," Callie says as she falls to her knees.

"Oh!" Arizona gasps, loving how Callie is so eager. Laundry wasn't the only thing happening in that room tonight.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Several weeks have passed since Callie and Arizona became intimate. Most nights have been spent at the hospital, but several nights have been spent at Callie's house, and last night they happened to be back at Arizona's, thanks to the wonderful friends they have. Callie is more than thankful for their small group of friends, that is starting to feel like family.

"Good morning beautiful," Callie says, leaning down to kiss her sleeping girlfriend on the cheek, after carefully sitting the tray in her hands down on the night stand.

"Mmm, I love waking up to the sound of the woman I love," Arizona says, trying to get her eyes to cooperate and open up.

"How can you sleep with a pillow over your head and have the most messed up hair, but still be this beautiful in the morning?"

"I feel like that's a slam and a compliment all wrapped up in one, Calliope. Is my hair that bad?" Arizona asks, as she reaches up to try to tame her wild strands, giving Callie a sleepy smile.

"Not exactly a slam... I mean, you should see it," Callie says, chuckling. "You still manage to take my breath away though."

"I am just going to point out, that your hands being in my hair is what started this look I have going on right now in the first place. And the pillow over my head was so that my screams didn't come out quite as loud. Unlike you, I have neighbors a little closer, and they would have called 911 had they heard that."

"Well, we wouldn't want that now, would we?"

"Not at all," Arizona says, pulling Callie down for a kiss. "If there are going to be handcuffs, it is not going to be because someone called 911."

"I didn't have you pegged for a handcuff kind of lady," Callie laughs.

"Calliope, you make me want to do things that I never imagined. I would gladly be your love prisoner," Arizona says, reaching to pull Callie down as the brunette laughs. "Tell me why you have clothes on and why you aren't you still in bed..."

"Honey, it's time for me to go. Remember, I have to go in a few minutes early today. I have that big consult first thing and I need to go over the files one more time before he gets there."

"Oh, that's right. The guy from Seattle... that baseball player."

"Yep. That's the one."

"I'm sure you already went over them frontwards and backwards."

"I did. But you can never be too prepared for a high-profile client. Here... I brought you some breakfast," Callie says, picking the tray up from the table and handing it to Arizona. "Eat some decent breakfast before you go. I know you won't stop and grab anything on your way."

"You are starting to know me too well. I don't want to keep Katie waiting. I mean, she is starting to look around for us when she hears us. That's just... so exciting Callie. And I swear, she is trying to smile but that tube is in her way."

"I think you are right. I just wish she would improve a little quicker, you know? It seems like although she _is_ improving, it isn't happening as quick as they were. I know she hasn't gotten worse, but she just hasn't had any more advances."

"I know it is frustrating, Calliope. I do. I know you want to have her back, right now. But these meds take a little time. It's a very slow process. We actually saw improvement quicker than I thought we would. Her body is having to rebuild these connections between nerves and muscles. It's a tough job for a tiny body. We have every reason to believe she will keep improving. It just takes time."

"I know. I just, I want my little girl back. I miss living a normal life, you know? She has missed out on so much. It's little things... like cereal in front of the tv watching cartoons, or coloring in the middle of the floor with crayons scattered everywhere. Halloween is next month week and she is going to miss dressing up again. And Christmas is coming, and once again, she won't be able to open her own presents. We can't have Christmas at home again. I just, I want my little girl and our life back."

"It will happen, Calliope. I really, really believe that."

"I know. I am just... impatient. But I know she is in very capable hands. If anyone can help her, it's you."

XXXXXXX

"So, how's itty bit doing?" Christina asks, as Callie walks into the office to find her staff already there.

"Um, Teddy texted me and said she slept all night and still hadn't woke up. She is getting to where she is on more of a schedule. She is awake more during the day and sleeps at night. She seems to like being talked to and read to. I guess not that she could tell us any different," Callie mumbles, sitting her bag down on the desk.

"I know you have heard it time and time again, but hang in there. I am sure that little girl is fighting like hell to get better.

"I know. Arizona keeps telling me she is doing better than what she had anticipated at this point. So that has to mean something. I am just impatient."

"Well, feast your eyes on these scans... I think they might take your mind off of things for a little while...," Christina says, handing a file over to Callie.

"Oh, I think you may be right. He is a pitcher, right?"

"Yep. The doctors in Seattle told him he wouldn't be able to pitch again. He is hoping you are a miracle worker and can prove them all wrong."

"Well, I am good, Christina."

"Prove it Torres."

XXXXXXX

"Teddy, thanks so much for staying last night," Arizona says, making her way into Katie's room, pulling the machine for Katie's morning treatment behind her.

"Oh, hey Arizona. No problem. Little miss just woke up about a half hour ago. We had the nurse change her into some clean clothes and we are watching some cartoons on her tablet you bought her. You are really spoiling her," Teddy chuckles.

Arizona moves over to where she is in Katie's line of sight and talks to the little girl, while addressing Teddy. "You deserve to be spoiled, don't you? Yeah, you deserve about anything we can get for you right now. And I have no problems doing that," Arizona says softly, stroking Katie's cheek with her thumb.

"You do an amazing job spoiling her and her mom both. You better be careful, you might just be stuck with them if you keep it up," Teddy says, smiling.

"I think I would be ok with that," Arizona says, as she smiles. "Actually. I know that I would. I just think this little girl here deserves the world. And if I can help in any way, I will."

"Well, I am going to go home for a little bit and take a shower, then I have some errands to run before we go in to the office later."

"Ok. Thanks again Teddy. You have no idea how much better rested we both have been."

"Well, I guess that depends on how much sleeping has been happening," Teddy says laughing as she grabs her bag and heads for the door.

"Funny Teddy," Arizona says, laughing as she waves goodbye. "See ya in a bit."

Grabbing Katie's chart and checking morning labs, she is pleasantly surprised to see another big improvement in Katie's labs. "Miss Katie, I really like what I see here," she says, looking over to see Katie's eyes following her.

Arizona puts the chart down and begins Katie's treatment for the day. Once that is completed, she grabs the chair and sits by Katie, as she picks up the tablet to let Katie watch the cartoon Teddy had started with her.

The next thing she knows, the alarm she had set is going off and it is time to unhook Katie from the equipment. Once that is done, she notices it is almost time for Callie to be back from work. She takes Katie's hand and begins to talk to her.

"You know, I think you are a pretty tough girl. Your mommy can't wait for you to start moving your muscles so we can get you off these machines here. I'm not telling your mommy, but I ordered you a Halloween costume a little bit ago. We may not be able to go trick or treating, but there is no reason we can't dress up a little bit. Now, it's not an actual costume, more like unicorn jammies, but we can even put some pink makeup on that cute little nose of yours to make you look absolutely adorable. And it has a hood that we can lift up over your head that has a cute little horn on the top. You will be so adorable. I thought we could surprise your mommy with it on Halloween. It falls on a weekday and I think we can make you look all cute for her before she gets here after work. What do you say? You want to dress up?"

Arizona looks at Katie and wishes more than anything that there would be something else that she could do for the little brunette. "You know, I just can't wait to be able to take you to the park. There is one a few blocks from the office and you would love it. There are big slides and little animals you can get on that spin around. I think there is an elephant and a giraffe. Then there is a lake where you can go feed the fish. I bet you would love that. I always did when I was your age. Oh, I bet you would love to swing too. I can't wait to be able to take you," Arizona says, imagining a day at the park with the little girl and Callie.

Arizona is startled when she hears a voice behind her say, "I can't wait to go to the park with the two of you. I think you will be the one who doesn't want to leave," Callie says, chuckling.

"Hey, how long have you been standing there?" Arizona asks, standing up to give Callie a kiss.

"Long enough to know that you are even more amazing than what you were this morning. And... that I am so thankful you are mine," Callie says, looking down at Katie, as their eyes find each other. "Actually, she is ours, isn't she Katie? We couldn't ask for anyone more amazing than she is to take care of us, huh?" Callie looks at Katie, then back to Arizona reaching for the blonde's hand.

"Calliope, I haven't done anything. I'm just... here."

"You are here. And that means the world to me. And it will to her too. You have done more than I think you will ever realize."

"Well, you two make it easy to want to be here. I happen to think the two of you are just... I don't know. I can't even find the words to really describe it. You guys are my whole world."

"Arizona..." Callie trails off as she wipes the tears that are starting to fall.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to get mushy on you," Arizona says, leaning over to wipe the tears that are still softly falling over her cheeks.

"I know. That's why it means even more. You don't even have to try. It just comes so easy for you."

"I love you..." Arizona says, as she catches the clock out of the corner of her eye. "Oh no, I need to go. My first patient is in ten minutes. I'm going to be late."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry to keep you."

"You are always worth it, Calliope. Call me if you need anything. Oh, my mom texted me earlier and she might stop by. She said something about having something for you."

"For me?" Callie asks, surprised.

"Yeah, that's what she said. It's hard to tell. Well, I need to go. I love you. Call if you need anything."

"I will. I love you too."

XXXXXXX

Katie has had her eyes closed for about an hour now, and Callie has her laptop pulled out, doing a little browsing. After Arizona left earlier, she can't help but feel that she needs to do something for the woman who has captured her heart. She almost feels like she hasn't done enough for the blonde, after everything she continues to do for them. She wants to get the blonde something to show her how much she appreciates and loves her.

As she browses through the jewelry website, the one famous for little blue boxes, she looks at different necklaces and bracelets, and finds the perfect necklace for Arizona. She then can't help but to see the link for rings on the left of her screen. Curiosity getting the best of her, she clicks the button and begins to scroll down the page, taking in the different styles. When George proposed, he had a ring that had been in the family that he had used to proposed. Not because he loved Callie so much that he wanted her to have it, but it was a family tradition. It was expected for him to give it to her and equally expected that she would wear it. No other ring would do.

The ring was never something she would have picked out, but actually the total opposite. The day she became a single woman again, she gladly handed the ring back to George as they walked out of the court room. She had never been so glad to get rid of a piece of jewelry in her life. Not 9nly because it put an end to that part of her life, but she never liked it. Looking at the rings in front of her, she can't help but gasp as she clicks on a link to pull up a picture of one ring in particular.

The ring is simple. Nothing extravagant in size or price, but absolutely gorgeous. She didn't intend to look at rings, but this ring, this is the one. She knows they aren't ready for this step yet. They have only been together just a little while, yet, this ring is the one. This ring, with the one carat diamond flanked by several small sapphires set in a white gold, that wrap around the rest of the band. This is the one that Arizona is going to wear one of these days. Maybe not now, or even soon, but that is it.

"That's very pretty," she hears from beside her in a quiet voice, causing her to jump.

"Barbara! I didn't hear you come in," Callie says, starting to blush at being caught looking at rings.

"I can see that," Barbara says, chuckling as she takes the seat next to Callie, once again eyeing the screen.

"Following the older woman's eyes, Callie takes the laptop and shuts it quickly. "Oh, I was wanting to get Arizona something and just picked out a necklace, just something small. And, well, you know, I was bored and just browsing the rest of the site. Katie's been asleep for a while, so I have had plenty of time to kill.

"I see. For the record though, that was beautiful."

"Yeah, it was," Callie says, still blushing.

"She has always looked good wearing blue. I won't tell her you were looking. That's not any of my business anyway."

"She is your daughter. It kind of is," Callie says, making sure the woman knows she respects her.

"Maybe. You know, I kind of gave up hope that she would find someone and settle down. You have been the first one who has held her attention. I never thought I would see my daughter as taken with someone as she is with you. And I know when you just meet someone, a part of you wonders whether or not you can really trust them. And I don't mean the kind of trust where we trust them not to eat the last cookie in the bag or to watch your puppy while you are on vacation. I mean, trust them with your heart kind of trust. I can tell you, she loves you. I saw it before she did, I think. I didn't even know about you at the time of one of our breakfast or lunches, I can't remember which, but I knew she had met someone. She loves you. And I think whether you give her a bracelet, a necklace, or... something else, that she will love whatever you pick out. But you need to know, you can trust her."

"It's only been a few months Barbara. Really, I was just browsing. I picked out a necklace I thought she would like then just started browsing."

"I believe you. I also believe we are lead by our hearts as to what we browse for," Barbara says, squeezing Callie's hand. "Anyway, I brought you something," the woman says, reaching into her purse to pull out a small envelope and handing it to Callie.

"What's this?"

"Open it," Barbara says.

Flipping the envelope over, Callie looks at Barbara before she looks back down and begins opening the envelope.

"Barbara, what is this?" Callie asks, as she pulls out the contents and looks it over.

"That is a coupon for a night away at a little Bed and Breakfast outside of town. I know it seems weird coming from me, but I know what it is like worrying about your child. I know the toll it takes on you. From one mom to another, it is important for you to take care of yourself. So, I thought that on a weekend of your choosing, I could stay here with this one, and you could use that coupon. I know you might feel obligated to take Arizona , but don't. Maybe you just need some 'me' time. Either way, you need some pampering. It helps to keep your batteries charged and not get worn down. I know Teddy and the girls are rotating through and that helps, but, a change of scenery is nice too. So, no rush at all, but whenever you are ready, I'm available to stay with this little one."

"Barbara," Callie says, tearing up. "You are too kind. I see where Arizona gets it now. She is absolutely the most thoughtful person I have ever met. It looks like that is all thanks to you. I don't know what to say but thank you."

"Well, I will gladly accept the compliment. And no need for thanks. This is just one mom taking care of another."

Truth be known, Barbara was taking a quick liking to the woman, and can't help but notice that Callie's mother hasn't been to visit, not even once. She kind of feels the need to step in and take care of the brunette, along with her own daughter.

"Well, thank you anyway. This means a lot. I'll uh, see how Katie is doing and take it from there on when I'll go. And I'll probably take Arizona too. It feels weird when we aren't together."

"You just let me know. Well, I need to get going," Barbara says, standing. "Now, if you need help with any further… shopping… you let me know. But, I think you found what you were looking for," she says with a wink and heads for the door. "I'll see you later Callie."

"Bye Barbara," Callie says, blushing.

Sitting there for a few minutes, Callie picks up the laptop and once again opens it. She makes a few clicks and closes the browser, then puts her laptop away.

Smiling, Callie pulls her phone out of her pocket and sends a text off to the blonde. "I just wanted to tell you how much I love you."

A minute later, she gets a text back. "I love you too. Can't wait to see my girls."

Smiling, Callie slides the phone back in her pocket, stands, and takes Katie's hand. "Mommy needs to talk to you about something…" Before she can say anything else, she feels Katie's hand begin to lightly squeeze hers as her eyes open.

"Katie! Oh my goodness! You are squeezing my hand!"

XXXXXXX

"Arizona, I can't believe it. She is moving her whole hand now. I was getting frustrated this morning and now she is showing improvements. I just, I am still in awe."

"I told you, the treatments are working. Her numbers are improving all the time. It just… takes time."

"I'm sorry. You probably feel like I'm doubting you."

"Don't be sorry. I understand. It is normal to get frustrated. It's ok."

Callie nods, then gives Arizona a kiss. "Thank you for being so understanding. I love you."

"I love you too. Oh, ow did your big case go today?"

"Great. He is coming back for surgery next week. He will be my first one in a while."

"You nervous?" Arizona asks.

"Are you kidding? I can't wait. I have missed being in an OR. I actually need to go down and get acquainted with the OR staff here. I have been putting it off."

"They are great. I haven't done much here, only a few minor procedures, but I think I am going to change that. I'm going to start offering my surgical expertise again."

"You sound pretty confident there, Dr Robbins."

"I am Dr. Torres. I have skills."

"I know you do, Dr. Robbins," Callie says, laughing. "I love your skills."

"I'm glad you do, Dr. Torres," Arizona says, wiggling her eyebrows. "So, what did my mom want today?"

"Um, she gave me a coupon, or gift certificate for a night at a B and B outside town. She said I need to take care of myself. Get a change of scenery."

"She is a smart woman."

"Yeah. I see where you get it now."

"She likes you. And she knows how much I like you, " Arizona says, smiling.

"You just 'like' me?" Callie asks, with air quotes.

"Well, I like you. But, I love you too," Arizona says, giving Callie a kiss.

"I was starting to wonder. But, I guess it is good that you like me too. At one point I didn't think you would ever like me," Callie says, chuckling.

"I wouldn't say that. I would say that…" Arizona is cut off by alarms going off on Katie's machines.

"Katie!" Callie says, as she and Arizona jump up to see Katie's eyes open wide and the alarms still going off.

"Arizona! What's going on?" Callie yells.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"Arizona! What's going on? What is it?" Callie is panicking at the alarms that are still going off. Arizona reaches over to push the button for the nurse and starts to assess the situation.

Callie watches as Arizona reaches to silence the alarms, as to not startle Katie any more than necessary.

Arizona watches the monitors as she grabs the stethoscope and begins to listen. She puts the stethoscope down and continues to watch the monitors closely for a few more seconds before she reaches for Callie's hand.

"These are good alarms. She is trying to breathe on her own," Arizona says grinning, still watching the monitors. Looking back to Callie, "We are going to take the tube out and put her on a bipap. It will still supply oxygen but will allow her to breathe on her own too," Arizona says, smiling.

"Really?" Callie asks, her eyes lighting up with a joy that takes Arizona's breath away.

"Really. I need to caution you though, this is going to probably be touch and go and you are going to hear alarms, so I need you to prepare yourself. We don't know how well her diaphragm is working yet but we won't know unless we try. So you need to know that we may have to put the tube back in if she isn't ready. That doesn't mean anything bad, it just means she may need more time. I am not saying we will have to, I just want you to be prepared," Arizona says, looking back and forth between Katie and Callie.

"Ok. I know that it's still early, I just… this is amazing Arizona!"

"Super amazing. Now, you are her mom right now and I need you to go out in the hall so we can take this out," Arizona says, as three nurses rush in.

"But, I…" Callie starts, but is interrupted by Arizona.

"I'm Dr. Robbins right now, and I need mom to go outside. Parents shouldn't see this. You know that..."

"Ok, you're right," Callie relents. She leans down to kiss her daughter on the forehead. "Come get me as soon as I can come back in."

"I promise," Arizona says, then nods to one of the nurses to escort Callie outside.

"Ok," Arizona says to the remaining nurses. "Here we go…"

XXXXXXX

"You can come back now," Arizona says as she reaches her hand out for Callie to take. She has taken kids off the vent many, many times before. This time, she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders though. While she cares for her patients, each and every one of them, this one is different. She loves this one. She is more than happy to be able to come out for Callie with good news.

"How is she?" Callie asks, worriedly turning towards Arizona.

"The bipap is on and she is breathing on her own. We have everything ready to go if we need to bag her and put the tube in, but we will see how she does without it."

When Callie walks in, she is amazed to see her little girl breathing on her own. Her eyes are open and she seems to be looking around. As soon as she sees Callie and Arizona, her eyes dart back and forth between the two.

"Hey baby girl. Mommy is here. And Arizona. You are doing so good. I am so proud of you."

"I'm going to call Teddy and tell her we are staying here tonight. I'll be right back," Arizona says, wanting to give Callie a few moments alone with Katie. She doesn't even have to ask Callie if she wants to stay or not. She knows that she doesn't want to leave and can imagine Callie wouldn't leave her even if she had to.

"Hurry back," Callie says, leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

Arizona just smiles at Katie, then turns to Callie and says, "This was all her. I'll be back."

XXXXXXX

As the end of the week draws near, Katie has been making some advances. True to Arizona's word, the alarms had been a constant through the week. Katie's breathing has been irregular, but each time it becomes irregular, it has righted itself almost immediately. There was only once that Arizona thought they would maybe have to be the tube back in, but Katie recovered fairly quickly.

Other good things happened too this week too. Both hands are showing movement now, she is starting to move her feet just a little, and she is awake for longer periods of time.

"Hey, how are my girls doing?" Arizona asks, walking back into the room on Friday night, after going to work this afternoon.

"Hey! We are doing great. We have been watching some Finding Nemo. Her eyes really seem to light up watching this."

"You watched it without me?" Arizona pouts, as she makes her way in to give Katie a kiss on the cheek and then turns to give Callie a kiss.

"I am not even kidding when I say that I knew you were going to say that," Callie says, chuckling.

"Hey, it's a cute movie. Who doesn't like it? Just for the record though, I want to watch the second one with her."

"Fine. I will let you watch that one with her," Callie says, shaking her head. "So, how was your day?"

"I'm, it was interesting. I actually have a kid I am referring to you," Arizona says, watching Callie's reaction.

"Really? What kind of case is it?"

"Um, it's a three year old boy that just came to me. He was in an accident about nine months ago. They just moved here and I think the doctors he was seeing before really dropped the ball. The accident left his leg pretty mangled. I just think there has to be something more that the others doctors could have done. So, I referred him to you. I think if anyone can do it, it's you."

"What makes you so sure of that? You have never even worked with me," Callie says, smiling.

"I told you, after I met you, I did my research. You seem to be quite the talented surgeon, as well as a genius with your cartilage research. One article even mentioned you being quite the rock start with it."

"Well, maybe some of that is true," Callie says, confidently.

"I'd say all of it was. Articles usually don't give any credit for anything unless there is just cause for it. I'd say it was pretty well spot on."

"Maybe," Callie chuckles. "I guess if I take this one, you might just have to come to the O.R. with me."

"Oh, you mean I could potentially see Dr. Torres in action? I think I could never turn down that opportunity."

"Well, sounds like I need to see what we are dealing with first," Callie says. "But, I would love the opportunity to scrub in with you Dr. Robbins."

"Oh, I forget to tell you...I talked to Dr. Tanner earlier. She was so excited to hear about Katie's progress. Not ten minutes after I talked to her, I had an email from Dr. Shepherd as well. They are both in agreement that Katie's going to be just fine."

"I hope so. She squeezed my hand harder today than she has all week. I just can't believe the progress this week. Makes me feel terrible for getting frustrated last weekend."

"It happens, Calliope. You are allowed to get frustrated. Nothing about this is easy. As a matter of fact, come with me for a minute."

"But, I don't want to leave her…"

"I'll have one of the nurse's come in. I just need to talk to you for a minute."

Begrudgingly, Callie stood up and kissed Katie's cheek. Since Katie started improving this week, Callie has went back to staying in her room with her, not wanting to leave at all, in case she takes a turn for the worse. Arizona understands, but she needs to have a conversation with Callie that she has been putting off.

After getting a nurse to stay with Katie, Arizona takes Callie to a conference room. "What's going on?" Callie asks, as Arizona closes the door and motions for the chairs for them to have a seat.

"As you know, Katie is really improving. We are getting to where I think we are going to start seeing a lot more movement and hopefully we can work on weaning her off of the bipap. When that happens, I think we need to be prepared for a few things."

"Arizona, I know what you are going to say…."Callie says, shaking her head.

"I know you probably do, but as her doctor, it's something I need to make sure we cover and are in agreement on. As we get her symptoms controlled, her rehab will have to be turned over to the rehab team. That means I will still get a say in things, of course, but someone else will be taking the reigns. And I think that's a good thing. I… I love you and I love Katie. And honestly, it's not going to be easy making some of the decisions that are coming up. I think having someone else overseeing that, will be a good thing for us," Arizona says, looking to see if Callie is on the same page.

"I know. I know Katie is more than a patient to you now, and that's probably a good thing to have someone else share the decision making."

"It is. I know we talked briefly before, about how she is going to have a long road ahead of her. I know that you know this, but I feel like we need to talk about it," Arizona says, reaching over for Callie's hands.

"I already know what you are going to say," Callie says, not wanting to talk about what she knows Arizona is going to bring up, causing Arizona to wish they didn't need to have this conversation. But, right now, she needs to make sure her girlfriend is able to prepare herself for the battle still ahead of them.

"I know. But we need to talk about it. She wasn't even two yet when this happened. That means she didn't have even close to a full vocabulary. And I know that with her being awake all this time, she has still heard conversations, but we have to be prepared for her to not fully understand what we are saying. We need to know that she isn't going to be able to talk to us right off the bat. She has a steep learning curve ahead of her, as far as verbal communication. She is older now and will probably pick things up pretty quick. But, it may be like teaching a toddler to talk. It requires time and patience. Also, we will need to build muscle and she will have to learn to walk all over again."

"I know all of this Arizona," Callie says, getting defensive.

Surprised at her girlfriends sudden mood, she softens her tone. "Honey, I know you know all of this. But you know this as a doctor. Being a mom is different, I'm sure. I mean, I don't have kid yet, but I know that it changes things. This isn't just any patient. She is your daughter, and…"

"She is. And I know that it is going to be hard. I will be watching her learn to do everything that all the other kids her age have been doing for years. I know that. But, thank you for pointing it out again," Callie says, standing up and walking towards the door.

"Calliope, where are you going?"

"I need to go for a walk," Callie says. With that, the brunette leaves the blonde there, wondering what just happened.

Callie leaves Arizona standing in the conference room and heads back to Katie's room. She relives the nurse and sits by her daughter's bed and thinks back to the conversation she just had with Arizona. Katie is wide-eyed and looking at her. She can't help but feel the world has been extremely unfair. Even though she is making improvements, she can't help but feel devastated that her daughter has had to endure this terrible disease. Unlike a few months ago, there is all kinds of hope though, thanks to the woman she left just a few minutes ago.

Callie knows they have an uphill battle in the immediate future. Arizona was right… Katie will have to learn, just as she did as a toddler, how to walk all over again. How to talk. Before the accident she had a vocabulary that was increasing almost daily. You could carry on a simple conversation with the little girl . They would have to learn that all over again and it was just frustrating and not fair. But, she would get her little girl back, and that's the most important thing.

As she looks at Katie, and sees her little brown eyes stare into her own brown eyes, she sees hope. Through everything they are getting ready to face, she realizes she needs to hold onto that hope. The hope that one day soon, she will once again be able to hear her little girl's voice. It won't be easy, but she knows if they can make it this far, they can get through anything.

"Hey, can I come in?" Arizona asks, hesitantly. After Callie left her in the conference room earlier, she decided to give her a few minutes. She knew she hated to bring the topic up, but so many times parents aren't ready for the emotional toll rehab plays on not only the patient, but the patient's family as well. Of course Callie would know what they were dealing with, but because it is her daughter, Arizona was just wanting to make sure Callie was prepared. As prepared as she could be anyway. Arizona herself hadn't prepared for Callie to get upset at her though, for broaching the topic, although, maybe she should have known that would happen. She has dealt with plenty of parents in the past who became emotional over things that, even though they knew a certain chain of events would happen, it never failed to throw them for a loop… to catch them off guard because it was suddenly not just possible but because it was actually happening… to them.

"No," Callie says, as she stands and turns towards the blonde.

That wasn't what Arizona expected to hear. As Callie notices the look that falls upon Arizona's face, Callie takes some steps towards her and pulls her outside the door.

"I need to come out here. I don't want to talk about this in front of her," Callie says, stopping to send a nurse in before leading them down the hall and back towards the conference room.

As they walk in the room and close the door, Callie turns to look at Arizona. "I'm sorry Arizona. I shouldn't have left earlier. I wasn't mad or upset with you, I was just… upset. And I took it out on you and I handled that wrong. All wrong. I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Arizona says, relieved that Callie is talking to her.

"No, it's not. You were being her doctor, going over the same things I would if the roles were reversed. I don't even know why I reacted that way. I think I was just overwhelmed. I know all of this stuff, but hearing it out loud, about my daughter, just made it seem too real. I'm just… so sorry I reacted like that. Will you forgive me?" Callie looks at Arizona, ready to see aggravation and is surprised to see only love reflecting back in her eyes.

"Of course," Arizona says reaching over to pull the brunette into her arms. "I love you so much. I wish I could push a button and make her better for you."

"I know. I really am sorry. I love you too," Callie says, pulling back to look at Arizona.

"I know," Arizona says, leaning to give her a kiss.

"I know that it isn't going to be easy. You have no idea how much I appreciate the fact that you will be there with us."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Now, let's get back to her. Maybe we can watch Finding Dory with her tonight. That sounds like perfect date night with my girls. And, we can order pizza," Arizona says, with a grin.

"Sounds amazing," Callie says, giving Arizona a kiss before they head back to Katie's room for a family date night.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"I think today is a good day to surprise mommy, what do you think Katie?" Arizona asks, looking into the brown eyes of the little girl in front of her, watching as they follow every move she makes. "Yeah, I thought you would agree," Arizona says, smiling, as she pushes the button for the nurse to come help her.

Over the past five days or so, Katie has continued to show progress. She is moving quite a bit more and even moving her head just a little. She is still breathing on her own, with a little assistance from the bipap, but Arizona hopes to start weaning her off of it soon.

As Callie walks into Katie's room a little while later, Arizona and Katie are waiting for her. It is Halloween today, and just as Arizona planned last week, she has Katie dressed in her unicorn jammies. But if that wasn't enough to surprise Callie, Arizona has an even better surprise waiting.

Callie is still standing in the doorway, as she takes in the sight in front of her. Arizona has managed to have Katie sat in a reclining chair. For the first time in two years, her daughter is out of bed and she can't contain the tears that are now falling. She didn't think she would see this day come.

She rushes over and is trying to take in the sight of her daughter. She has the cutest unicorn jammies on, complete with a horn on the hood. She is sitting up, but still reclined, with a stuffed unicorn sat with Katie's arm curled around it.

There are still no words coming out of her mouth, only tears flowing down her cheeks. She leans down and wraps her arms around her daughter, the best that she can, and just cries. She feels something on her arm and look to see that Arizona is giving her some tissues, which she gladly accepts.

A few minutes pass when she finally stands back up, and turns to look at the woman next to her. She obviously was too engrossed in her daughter earlier to notice, but there standing before her is the blonde, clad in matching unicorn jammies, just like her daughter.

While tears are still present on her cheeks, she can't help but burst out in a full blown belly laugh. While she knew the blonde was child-like at heart, she just couldn't contain the laughter. It wasn't a mocking laugh at the blond, but a laugh of pure joy. While Arizona has an inner child that begs to come out at times, she is all woman in bed. She is professional when at work, loving and understanding when they are alone, and just absolutely amazing with her daughter.

"Why are you laughing?" Arizona begins to pout.

"I'm not really laughing, I'm just so… so happy. And it is all because of you. You did this… for Katie and I. You… are amazing. And I just love you and appreciate everything you do. You make me so happy Arizona Robbins," Callie says, pulling Arizona in for a not so light kiss."

"Mm," Arizona says, pulling back. "You make me happy too," Arizona says, taking Callie's hands in her own. "So what do you think about our costumes?"

"I love them as much as I love the two of you," Callie says, turning to look back at her daughter. "You two make the cutest unicorns ever, " Callie says, smiling.

"We wanted to surprise you. And, it is time we start getting little miss here up and moving a little. Now that she is starting to turn her head, physical therapy is going to start really working with her. And, I always dress up for Halloween. My kids at work love it. So, I thought we could match."

"I love it Arizona. You are so… amazing. Amazing in general and amazing with her. You are so good to us."

"I love you both Callie. I love to see that smile on your face and I think your laughter is the most amazing sound I have ever heard," Arizona says, as a throat clears behind them.

As they both turn around, Barbara is standing there smiling. "I'd say you two need to get a room, but I know Arizona has to go to work," she says, chuckling.

"Moomm…" Arizona says, shaking her head and whining.

"It's true…" Barbara says, shrugging her shoulders. "Anyway, I knew what Arizona was planning, so I just had to come see this for myself. It is so good to see Katie sitting up!"

"It is," Callie says, reaching for Arizona's hand and watching her daughter.

"Very much so. I hope you don't mind dear, but I brought us some lunch, " Barb smiles, holding up a bag of food.

"Actually mom, I was getting ready to leave," Arizona offers.

"Oh, I know Arizona. I meant Callie. I brought lunch for her and I," Barb says walking further into the room with the lunch. "I made it just before I left, so it is still warm."

"Oh," Arizona says, wondering why she didn't get anything. Then she smiles, because she is so thankful that her mom is being so welcoming to Callie.

"Don't worry, here," she says, handing Arizona a gift card. "Your lunch is on me. Mickey D's is right on your way to work."

Arizona's mouth falls open and she hears Callie snicker. Turning to look at her girlfriend trying not to laugh, she turns back to her mom. "Thanks, I guess …"

"Oh hush. It's better than nothing. Now go... you are going to be late."

"Um, yeah. You're right. I will see you guys in a little bit," Arizona says, kissing Callie before going over to give Katie a kiss.

"You be careful. I love you," Callie says.

"I love you too. Bye mom, love you too."

"Love you too. Try not to get arrested wearing that outfit. Those pics would be embarrassing."

"Good advice, mom," Arizona says, laughing as she walks out the door.

"So, Callie, I hope you like chicken noodle soup. I made it homemade."

"I love it. It is probably my favorite soup. That sounds delicious, Barbara."

"I just hope it tastes as good as it sounds," Barbara laughs, pulling he containers out of the bag.

Handing Callie her bowl of soup, Barb takes hers and has a seat next to Callie. They take their kids off, and enjoy some comfortable silence, as Callie takes her first bite.

"Mm, this is delicious, Barbara. We have been eating so much take out that you kind of forget what real food tastes like."

"I'm glad you like it, dear. I thought Arizona said you were trying to fix more dinners though…"

"We were, until she took Katie's tube out. Then we have been spending every night here, so we are back to take out. There was one night that Teddy and Addie brought in some dinner for us though."

"Those two are nice to have around. I don't know what Arizona would do without Teddy. They may argue and push each others' buttons, but they are best friends through and through."

"I can tell. I hope our relationship doesn't interfere with their friendship. I keep telling Arizona she should go out with them, but she refuses."

"Sounds like my daughter. She will never do anything she doesn't want to do. If she chooses to stay here with you, then it is only because that's what she truly wants."

"She is something else," Callie says, as Barb pulls out a few rolls from the bag.

"Oh, these smell wonderful," Callie says as she holds a roll up to take in the aroma of a fresh baked good.

"That's my grandmother's recipe. Arizona has it, but she has never really had a reason to be in the kitchen much. I think maybe she will now," Barb says, as she watches Callie slightly blush.

"I love cooking. I can't wait until we can have free evenings at home."

"No reason you can't take some time now. You are a wonderful mom Callie. I can tell by just watching you. I am one hundred percent sure that our kids come first. But, we are a close second. If you don't carve out a little time, just for your, you will lose yourself. You don't want that."

Callie listens as the woman talks, but something starts to bounce around in Callie's mind, and she can't help but ask. "You um, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but it just seems like you understand a little better about what I am going through with Katie than most."

"Just life experience, dear. Oh, I meant to tell you, because I know Arizona won't, but her birthday is next week."

"Are you kidding? She hasn't mentioned it at all. Why wouldn't she mention it?"

"Well, long story short… she takes after her dad and doesn't like them. She says they are just a reminder that we are getting older."

"Hm. You know, it is funny that you mention she is like her dad. She never mentions him."

"Yeah, she doesn't like to talk about him. He and I have been divorced for about fifteen years. He tried to keep in touch with her, but she didn't think a real husband and father should walk away from his family."

"I'm sorry. I know what it is like to have a husband walk out," Callie says. "I asked Arizona about him once and she changed the subject. I thought it was odd, but didn't want to push it."

"He always taught her to be a "good man in a storm" and then he couldn't follow through himself. She just lost all respect for him."

"That's a shame. I would think it would take a lot to lose her respect."

"Yeah, it does. Listen, I need to go get some laundry done. But you promise me you will let me know if you need anything. And whenever you want to use that gift certificate for that B and B, you let me know, and I will stay with this little one. I can't wait to spend more time with her."

"I will Barbara. Thank you so much for lunch. I appreciate it."

"Anytime, dear."

XXXXXXX

Hours later, Arizona makes it back to the hospital, just in time to see Callie close the bedtime story she was reading to Katie. Callie looks up and smiles, as Arizona has a defeated look on her face.

"I was trying to get back here before she fell asleep."

"I know. She just couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. I think from where she was sitting up a while, it just wore her out. I don't think she will be waking up until morning."

"I'm sorry, Calliope. I tried so hard to get here. I just couldn't shove that family out the door. It's not easy delivering bad news and then they had so many questions, and..."

"Arizona… it's ok. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that you would have been here if you could. And once again, you make me love you even more than I thought was possible."

"I just want you to know that the two of you do come first I would never just miss something important like this, for no reason."

"I know that Arizona. It was just trick-or-treat though. What's wrong? Is there something else going on?"

"No. Yeah. I don't know. Can we maybe go somewhere and talk?"

"Yeah. Let's just go tell the nurse we are stepping out for a little bit."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure."

Not sure what's got her girlfriend somewhat flustered, Callie leads Arizona out of the room and down to "their" on-call room. Once inside, Callie leads Arizona over to the bed and pats it, wanting Arizona to sit down next to her.

"So, want to tell me what's going on?"

Sighing, Arizona grabs Callie's hand. "I know that this is still new between us, but I guess… I guess trick-or-treat still seemed like a big deal. I felt like I should be here for it. And then I couldn't be here and I felt like I was missing out. I wanted to be here, so bad, and I know you understand, you're a doctor too and you know that things come up. I just felt like I let you both down."

"Arizona Robbins, look at me," Callie says, turning Arizona's face around so that she could look in her eyes. "I love you so much. I keep feeling like this is a dream, because you seem too good to be true. You try so hard, to always do the right thing. You make sure that I always know where I stand with you, and I love you so much for that."

"I love you too."

"I know you do. I don't want to be the woman who brings up her ex all the time, but Katie's own father wasn't there for her. He was only there out of obligation when he did decide to show up. And here you are, you don't have to be there for her, but you are. In every way. You choose her when you don't even have to and I love you so much for it. So for you to be this upset over missing a few kids coming by in a costume, you have no idea how much that means to me and how much it will mean to her."

"Callie, thank you, for letting me be a part of her life. I don't know that I have told you how much it means to me that you trust me enough to spend so much time with her."

At hearing this, Callie can't help but laugh in disbelief. "Arizona… you are something else. You are there for my daughter, when you don't have to be, and here you are, thanking me for letting you. I feel like you are always the one going out of your way for us, and yet, I do so little for you. This… this is what I was afraid of in the very beginning. I just can't offer you as much as you deserve right now."

"Are you kidding me? You, Calliope, are giving me so much. You two have become everything to me. You love me. That's all I need from you. I told you I didn't need anything but you, and I meant it. I will take hospital coffee any day over fancy dates with you, and that will never change."

Suddenly, not able to help herself, Callie stands up and quickly straddles Arizona's lap and pulling Arizona's zipper down to her costume.

"I need you," Callie says, pushing the sleeves down Arizona's arms and roughly pulling the cami over her head, finding nothing else but bare breasts. She leans down and takes one into her mouth, causing Arizona to moan.

"Oh, Calliope. Mmm…."

"I mean it, I need you, right now," Callie says as she pushes Arizona back on the bed and takes her own shirt off over her head.

"Mmm, oh… oh, the door. We need…"

"Locked it when we came in," Callie says, reaching down to pull shoes off and finish taking Arizona's costume off, along with her own clothes.

"Calliope…" Arizona means, as Callie lays herself on top of Arizona. "You feel so good. Oh, I love this…"

"I know what else you love…," Callie says, working her way down Arizona's body.

An hour later, as the two women bask in their afterglow, Callie says, "Next weekend, go away with me. We can use that gift certificate from your mom."

"Are you sure you want to leave Katie?"

"I never like leaving her. But I know she will be in good hands. And your mom said anytime works, so as long as we can get a room, what do you say?"

"I say, I would love it, Calliope."

"Good. I can't wait. I have missed this, just laying here with you."

"You just missed the cuddling?" Arizona asks with a smirk.

"Oh no… I missed it all. Sex with you is amazing Arizona. It's only been a week and a half, but I really needed this. I needed you."

"I missed it too, Calliope. I can't get enough of you. Your taste, your smell, the way you feel against me. All of you."

"So, how about next Saturday? I will call the B and B tomorrow and then check with your mom if they have an available room."

"Sounds good. You know you don't have to take me though, you know that, right?"

"Arizona, I know that. I want you with me. I think a nice romantic night sounds amazing. And I think your mom wants to sit with Katie. She keeps reminding me she is available."

"Yeah, she loves helping. How was your lunch? Hope it was better than my Big Mac."

Laughing, Callie says, "It was delicious. She is a good cook. You know, she keeps telling me I need to take care of myself. I feel like I am missing something."

"Um, she is just a worrier."

"No, I think it is more than that. Has something happened to you? It's like she has this empathy."

Arizona is quiet for a minute "Not me. It was my brother."

"You have a brother?"

"I did. He, um, he was in the military. He was injured during a mission."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

"A small explosive went off. He was sent here to basically die. My mom…. She was a mess. I was in college at the time and couldn't be here. My mom spent all her time with him, just hoping he would recover. He fought for a few months, but he ended up with an infection after one of his surgery's that he just couldn't fight."

"I'm sorry, Arizona. I had no idea. That explains why your mom is so worried about me."

"Yeah. She kind of lost herself. She was depressed and then my dad couldn't or wouldn't help her. I know he had a hard time too, but they just couldn't seem to go through it together. It tore then apart and he filed for divorce. Then he couldn't stay here. He asked for a transfer. He is down in Texas."

"So that's why you don't like to talk about him?"

"Yeah. He just walked away. It was the total opposite of everything he stood for. He walked away from me too, not just her. When you suffer a loss, you stick together. He always preached that he was a good man in a storm, and he just bailed."

"I'm sorry. Your mom seems good now, considering all that."

"Yeah. It took her a few years, but she finally got there. I think that's why she worries about you. She knows how easy it is to lose yourself."

"She is amazing. I'm just glad she accepts Katie and I."

"She likes you. A lot. I'm starting to think she likes you more than me. Still can't believe she gave me a McDonalds gift card for lunch…"

Laughing, Callie says, "That was hilarious…"

Flipping them over, Arizona pins Callie's hands above her head. "I think it is terrible you find that funny."

"You gonna make me pay?" Callie asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Most definitely…," Arizona says, kissing down Callie 's bodu, causing the brunette to giggle.

"But right now, I'm having my way with you," Arizona says, settling between the brunette's legs.

"Mm, please do…"


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Ten days. That's how long ago this night had been planned. Ten days of making sure everything was as close to perfect as Callie Torres could get it. The room at the B and B was reserved, Barbara was going to be able to spend the night with Katie, and Arizona's birthday gift is safely tucked into the confines of her overnight bag. The birthday gift started out as a "just because" gift that Callie ordered. After finding out about Arizona's birthday, she decided that the necklace would become the birthday gift instead.

Sometimes the most solid plans work out exactly how they are supposed to, and sometimes… well, sometimes things don't go according to plan at all.

"Barbara, please, call if anything changes. We will have our phones with us."

"Make sure it is up loud enough," Barbara chuckles. "...or you won't hear it over all the other noise. Oh, I hope the rooms are soundproof."

"Mom! Will you stop? My gosh…"

"I just do it to aggravate you. And it works," Barbara says laughing. "Now, go, get out of here. I'll call if we absolutely need you."

"Thank you, Barbara… I really do appreciate it."

"No problem dear. I have been looking forward to telling this little sweetie more stories about my daughter here and what trouble she used to cause."

"Better be careful mom. I don't think we want you giving her any ideas," Arizona says, laughing.

"Well, this is where I get my paybacks then," Barbara chuckles.

Shaking her head and pulling Arizona to the door, Callie once again thanks her and heads out. Katie has been down for a nap for about a half hour, so when she knew Katie was getting sleepy, her and Arizona went ahead and said their goodbyes, with promises to be back tomorrow.

Over the last ten days, they have had Katie sitting up quite a bit. Her body movements are improving by the day, and she is trying to pick her arms up now to move them. Arizona has attempted to remove the bipap, but they had to put it back on. Katie's breathing became labored pretty quickly, but they are almost ready to try taking her off again. Three steps forward and one back is frustrating, but still a giant leap from where she was.

Once in the car and on their way, they luckily don't have to travel too far. They arrive at their destination fairly quick and make their way in to check-in. Walking into their room, Callie is in awe. "Arizona, this is amazing. Have you ever stayed here before?"

"No, I haven't. This bed is beautiful," Arizona says, setting down her bags and making her way over to the king-size bed, covered in rose petals. Looking over to the table by the bed, she sees a bottle of wine, along with strawberries and some assorted cheeses.

"I think you added to the package my mom got."

"I may have. I wanted to increase my odds of getting into your pants," Callie smirks, walking over to join Arizona.

"Oh, no enticing needed," Arizona says, pulling Callie to lay down with her, kicking her shoes off in the process. "You are welcome to get in my pants whenever you want," she laughs, pulling Callie a little closer.

Giggling, Callie says, "Oh, I love that invitation. However, I love you. And because I love you, a little birdie might have told me that it's someone's birthday today."

"Oh."

"You weren't going to tell me at all, were you?" Callie asks, pointedly, reaching to rub her thumb along Arizona's cheek.

"Calliope, I just don't like them. They aren't a big deal."

"Maybe not to you, but I love them. However, I know you aren't a fan, so I kept the celebrating to just the two of us. I already have room service set to be here in…" looking at the clock, she says, "…one hour. Then, I thought we could take a nice, hot bubble bath, where there are nice comfy robes waiting. Then, I thought that I would guarantee you a chance to get lucky," Callie says, reaching over to run her hands up and down Arizona's arm. Moving her hands, she begins snaking them behind Arizona, and squeezes the wonderous behind of her girlfriend.

"You know, I think this will be the first time in my adult life that I have enjoyed celebrating my birthday."

"Oh, we haven't celebrated yet, Arizona. That was just a walk-through of what's to come. I promise you, it will be much better than it sounds."

Rolling Arizona over, she crawls on top of her. "Have I ever told you how wonderful you are?"

"I think so," Arizona says, pulling Callie all the way down, to lay on top of her.

"You are. You are an amazing woman Arizona Robbins. You turn me on with just a look. You make my heart melt when I see your dimples pop. Your eyes… I could look in your eyes for days. Your smile takes my breath away. What's inside," Callie says, putting her hand over Arizona's heart, "...is what made me fall in love with you though."

"I love you too," Arizona says, kissing Callie.

"You know… we have an hour before dinner. Anything you want to do? We could go for a walk? It was pretty out there. I saw benches scattered around the grounds. We can go get some fresh air and relax a bit," Callie says.

"We could. I mean, I know neither one of us has had a chance to just get some fresh air lately. Or… we could stay here," Arizona says, as she takes her finger and runs it down Callie's neck, then running her hand back behind Callie's head and pulling her down for a kiss. "…maybe I can have a little… appetizer before dinner."

"Mmm, I like the way you think Miss Robbins. But I don't want to see you spoil your dinner."

"Not a chance, Miss Torres. I think that a little taste now is only going to increase my… appetite."

"OH!" Callie squeals, as Arizona has successfully flipped them over, to where she is now on top, and pressing a leg down right where Callie likes it.

"I can never get enough of you Calliope. You are the absolute sexiest woman I have ever laid eyes on. But it's not just that. You are as beautiful inside as you are out. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Now… let's take these off…" Arizona says, as she moves to unzip Callie's jeans and pull them down her legs, then removing the rest of their clothes, one piece at a time. "Just when I thought you couldn't get more beautiful, you do. You are just… delicious to look at.

"Are you just going to look or are you going to do some… taste-testing?" Callie asks, smirking when she sees the surprised but hungry look overtake her girlfriend.

"Oh, I'm definitely tasting…," Arizona says, kissing her way down Callie's body.

XXXXXXX

Putting a robe on quickly, Callie has Arizona cover up so she can answer the door for their room service.

Pushing the cart into the room after she dismisses the staff person, she can already smell the aroma coming off the try in waves.

"Calliope, I don't know what you ordered, but it smells delicious."

"Well, I thought we would keep it on the lighter side, so I ordered filet mignon and some fingerling potatoes in a garlic butter sauce."

"Oh, I love those. I'm surprised you went with the garlic though."

"I told them to go light on it. I planned ahead," Callie says, taking the lids off the plates.

"Oh, you are a brilliant woman, Calliope. I don't have to get dressed, do I?

"As long as it is only you and I in a room, clothes are _always_ not only optional, but totally discouraged."

"I love the way you think."

"Good. Now, pull your cute little behind over here and I will pour us some of this wine. They said it pairs well with the steak."

While Callie is pouring them both some wine, she watches as Arizona gets up out of bed, letting the sheet slide off of her and makes her way to the bathroom. A minute later, Arizona then makes her way out wearing a matching robe.

"This looks so good, Calliope."

Sitting down, Arizona sees that Callie is watching her every move. "What are you thinking about?"

Callie hands Arizona her silverware, then reaches for her wine. "Just thinking about how much I love you."

"No, really. What were you thinking about?" Arizona chuckles.

"Really," Callie says, as she takes a bite if her steak. "Mm, that's delicious," she says, as she takes another bite. "But really, that's what I was thinking about. I was thinking how much has changed in such a short amount of time."

"Mm, that is delicious," Arizona says, finally tasting her steak.

"I told you," Callie says, smiling.

"You did," Arizona says, as she watches Callie. "Do you… have any regrets?"

"Arizona, I feel a lot of things. Regret is not one of them," Callie says, looking straight into Arizona's eyes.

"I know this probably isn't where you thought you would be right now though."

"No, it's not. But, I couldn't be happier. I mean… did I think I would be in love with someone? No. Did I think I would ever be in love with a woman? Absolutely not. But you came along and you changed my life in so many ways. Good ways. I am so thankful to have you in my life, Arizona."

Nodding, Arizona has a thought cross her mind. Actually, it has been on her mind a lot lately. "So, where do you see yourself in ten years?"

"What do you mean? Personally, or professionally?" Callie asks.

"Well, both, I guess," Arizona says, taking a drink of wine.

Callie shrugs. "Professionally, I'd like to think I'll be a kick-ass, top of my field surgeon. I'm not putting myself in the best situation, technology wise, by being here. A more state of the art hospital would help. I don't know, I think that skill and technique can compensate to a degree."

"I would agree with that. People go where the talent is."

"That's what I hear. The Seattle player you had come to you is proof of that, I guess."

"It is," Arizona agrees. "So, what about personally?"

"Personally, I see myself dealing with a hopefully healthy teenager. I hope that we can have her living like all the other hormonal teenagers at that point. I see myself… hopefully not by myself," Callie says, somewhat bashfully.

"Do… do you want to, um, get married again? Have more kids?" Arizona asks, somewhat quietly.

Looking at Arizona thoughtfully, she isn't sure what kind of answer Arizona is looking for. "I, uh, I would like to be married again. I mean, the first time shouldn't have happened, but I would like to do it right next time. And, as far as kids go, I would love to have more. Not soon, but... I think when Katie is better, yeah. I'd love to have more. What, um, what about you?"

"Oh…, you mean kids?"

"Well, all of it. Professional and personal goals," Callie says, finding herself really wanting to know the answers to those questions.

"Well, I think professionally, I would like to get back to surgery. There were some things I was starting to research, before I switched to peds. I think I would like to pick those back up. I would actually like to grow my practice. I can see having a larger clinic and really specializing in all things kids. Diseases and surgeries."

"I can see you doing that."

"Yeah, me too," Arizona says, smiling. "But, that's just one part of my life. Personally, I would very much like to be married…with kids. A couple actually. I loved having a brother and I miss him dearly. I think kids should have siblings, if possible."

"I agree. My parents, well scratch that, my dad always wanted another little girl. My mom decided socializing was more important though. You would think my dad would have wanted a son, but he was always funny that way. He already had the name Aria picked out for another girl, but my mom just wouldn't give in. He tried for years and years to get her to change her mind. She was a good mom, but was always kind of self-centered. That kind of carried over into my adulthood. As you can see, she still hasn't bothered to come see Katie since she has been alert."

"That's a shame, too. She is missing out."

"She is. But…it's her loss. She calls every now and then. I haven't heard from her since dad found out about you and I though. I think it's safe to say she doesn't approve much."

"You don't know that though. I would give it more time."

"I asked dad about it the other day. He just said she has been out of town quite a bit and very busy."

"There you go. Just be patient," Arizona nods. "She will come around."

"Maybe," Callie says, taking her last sip of wine, then putting her glass down. "I'm going to push the tray out in the hallway so they don't have to interrupt us again."

"Mm, I like the thought of uninterrupted time. I will go start a bath. I hope you are going to join me."

"You know I will…" Callie says, winking at Arizona.

XXXXXXX

"Calliope, are you coming?" Arizona asks, as she lights the last candle.

"Be right there. I'm going to call and check on Katie really quick before I come in."

"Ok," Arizona says, waiting on the tub to fill, lighting some candles as she waits. She then takes her robe off and climbs in the bathtub after she shuts the water off. It's a nice size bathtub and as long as it has taken to fill, she thought Callie would have been in here by now. Scooting back in the tub, she lays her head back and closes her eyes, enjoying the feel of the warm water enveloping her body.

Out in the bedroom, Callie does in fact call to check on Katie. Once she hears that she is fine, she once again thanks Barbara and then puts her phone by the bed. She makes her way over to her bag that is still sitting on the floor. Pulling out the blue bag from Tiffany's, she takes it over and starts to pull Arizona's gift out of the bag when she hears Arizona yell. In a hurry to find out what's wrong, she half tosses the bag on the bed and makes her way quickly into the bathroom. She finds Arizona scrambling to get out of the bathtub.

"Whoah! Hey... what's going on?" Callie asks, pushing her back down.

"The candle. I put my foot up on the edge of the tub and accidentally knocked a candle over. It's down at the end of the tub."

Callie walks to the end of the tub and looks down to see the candle on the floor. Luckily, the glass jar hit the rug and the wax spilling was enough to put the flame out, so other than a mess of wax to clean up, it was all under control.

"It's ok. I got it. You sit your cute butt back down there. If you get out to get this, you might not want to get back in, and you are taking a bath with me. So, stay there. I've got this."

"I like it when you get all 'take control' on me."

Laughing, she begins cleaning up the wax. Callie says, "I think you might have mentioned that before. I will really need to keep that in mind for later."

"Did you get ahold of my mom?"

"Yeah, everything is good. She said they are watching some movie she bought for her. The two of you are spoiling her, you know that don't you?"

"In my defense, half of what I get for her is because I like watching it or listening to it too."

"Oh, I know. I think you just use her as an excuse," Callie says, chuckling as she slides her robe off.

"Never," Arizona insists. "I don't need an excuse. If I want something, I get it. Right now, I want you, right here between my legs," Arizona says, with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

"Maybe I want you between mine..."

"Oh, there's plenty of time for that later. Trust me, I plan to spend a lot of time between your legs later," Arizona says, scooting back for Callie to climb in and sit in front of her.

"I love the feel of your breasts on my back," Callie says, leaning back into Arizona.

"I love being this close to you. I can't seem to get close enough, sometimes."

"You are full of charm, aren't you Miss Robbins?"

"I try," Arizona says, reaching her arms further around Callie and laying her head on Callie's neck, turning to kiss her pulse point and causing Callie to moan.

"I don't know that we are going to be in here long if you keep doing that."

"Maybe that's my plan."

"Then maybe you should grab that soap and start to lather."

"There you go again, being bossy," Arizona says, while reaching for the loofa and body wash that was already laying next to the tub. "I think you need a little help washing off," Arizona says, reaching around Callie and running the soap covered loofa over Callie's breast, taking her time with each one. From there, she continues to run it down Callie's abdomen, causing Callie to give off a small moan.

"You know, there is something so intimate about taking a bath together. But then, when you take the time to actually wash each other off, it becomes so much more intimate. I think it is so sexy to watch bubbles form and coat your body. The way they glisten and make your skin shine. I love when you have your hair up, and the bottom of your hair line manages to get wet, and these tiny strands of her become soaked and fall out of the hair tie you have in. I love the way they lay against your neck, just begging me to tuck them back in. But I like them falling out. I like when things are not out of the magazine perfect, you know? I like seeing you with no make-up. Don't get me wrong, when you wear make-up, I think you are beautiful. But that's the you that everyone gets. I like the you that is reserved only for me."

"Arizona, I have never had someone make a bath sound so sexy. You make everything sexy." Callie pulls Arizona in for a kiss, causing Arizona to moan.

"Calliope, we need to finish this. Like right now."

Agreeing with the blonde, Callie takes the loofa from her and squeezes more body wash onto it, as she does much the same thing as Arizona just did to her, causing Arizona to moan as she swirls it around her breast.

When Arizona deems herself to be clean, she helps them both to stand and reaches for the towels that are hanging on the rack, next to the tub. Once they are dry, Callie sees Arizona reach for her robe.

"No, you don't need that," Callie says, taking it from her and sitting it back on the hook. "You don't need it, because every part of you is about ready to be covered by me."

Arizona shivers, just thinking about their naked bodies touching, blending together as one. "Come on," Arizona says, leading Callie by the hand, out towards the bed.

Seeing the blue bag on the bed, slightly hidden behind a pillow as Callie had hurriedly tossed it earlier when she heard Arizona yell, she quickly turns Arizona before she can see it. Trying to cover up why she turned her, she hurriedly pushes her on the bed and begins kissing her. While Arizona is occupied, she reaches for the bag with her free hand and sits it carefully on the floor.

"What are you doing?" Arizona asks, noticing Callie twisting in an awkward way.

"Oh, I just had an itch..."

"Well, I would absolutely love to help you scratch it. Any itches really... I can scratch any you might have."

Callie can't help but laugh. "You can make about anything dirty, can't you?"

"Well, growing up with an older brother, it kind of wears off on you. He was always terrible about saying things. I guess I learned from the best."

"I wish you would talk about him more. You light up when you talk about him."

"Yeah, it feels good to talk about him. But... not in bed. We can talk all you want about him later, just definitely not in bed while we are naked."

"Ok then. No more talking," Callie says, taking charge off things. Kissing Arizona's neck, she works her way down Arizona's body. Nipping, sucking, anything to cause the moans that are spilling from Arizona's mouth. "I need you to show you how much I love you," Callie says, as she moves a little lower.

In their short time together, she has found that Arizona thoroughly enjoys it when she takes her time, moving down slowly. It builds the anticipation and Callie has found that she loves to hear Arizona beg.

As she continues her journey, Arizona stops her. "I..."

"What? What's wrong?" Callie asks, stopping as she watches Arizona seem to struggle with what she is saying.

"Um, nothing. Believe me. I just... I want you to stay up here with me. I want to feel every part of you."

"Oh. I think I can handle that. I thought something was wrong," Callie says, as she starts kissing her way back up.

"Not a chance... I just need you up here with me."

"Gladly," Callie says, as Arizona adjusts them to where Callie is right where she wants her. "Mm, I think I like that..."

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet," Arizona says, moving in just the right way, causing Callie to moan.

XXXXXXX

A little while later, after both women have been satisfied, more than once, and now decide to freshen up. Callie goes first. She has to use the restroom and put it off as long as she could. She finally can't wait anymore, so she makes a dash to the restroom knowing Arizona is going to be right behind her.

When Arizona doesn't come in right behind her, a realization hits her. The Tiffany's bag was on the floor. Hurrying up, she knows she needs to get to the bag before Arizona sees it. She remembered when she took it out of her overnight bag, that she had forgotten to take something else out of the bag and leave it at home. When Arizona had yelled earlier though, she tossed it on the bed with the intention of taking care of things before Arizona came back out. That's not how things had played out though and she had forgotten when she ran to the bathroom. Rushing out the bathroom door, she watches as Arizona goes to sit her phone back on the nightstand. Callie's sudden rush out the door startles Arizona, and she watches as she drops her phone in her haste to turn to see what is going on with Callie.

"Calliope, are you ok?"

"Oh, yeah. I just thought you were coming in too."

"Oh, I thought I should check my text messages, just in case something came in and we didn't hear it time," Arizona says, giggling. "It did get a little loud in here. There was nothing, so we are good. Are you sure you're ok? You look... I don't know..."

"Oh, I'm fine. Totally fine. Just, probably need a snack or something. You... really wore me out," she says, with a hesitant laugh. "So, I'll keep the bed warm if you want to take your turn," Callie says, gesturing to the restroom, "... and maybe I can order us up some ice cream or something?"

"Sure, that sounds good, actually. I'll just grab my phone before I forget it and make sure we hear the next text," Arizona says.

At that point, Callie can only watch... She is watching Arizona pick up her phone, only to see the bag down on the floor. She picks up the bag, and Callie suddenly panics. "Wait!"

"Calliope, what is this? Were you hiding something from me?" Arizona asks excitedly, eyes sparkling while holding the very blue bag in her hand.

"Um, no. I was just waiting until later to give it to you. Here, can I see that real quick?" Callie asks, heading over to stand by the bed.

"Is this my present?" Arizona asks, with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I just... need to take the price tag off," Callie says, trying to reach for the bag, hoping to pull the necklace box out of the bag, then put the bag away.

"Calliope, I don't care what you paid for it. You could have bought it at the dollar store and I would be tickled with it. Just let me see," Arizona says, peeking in the bag and freezing.

"Arizona, here," Callie says, reaching for the bag, but Arizona is too stunned to hear. She reaches in and pulls out two boxes. One, box is larger, suggestive of a bracelet or necklace. The other one, it is smaller. And square. Arizona is sure she is seeing things, but she grabs the smaller box.

"Calliope..."

Callie realizes it is too late. She can't just put it back in her overnight bag. She wasn't ready to give it to her yet. Or was she?

"What is this?"

"Arizona, I..." Whatever Callie was about to say, died on her lips when Arizona opens the small blue box, finding a stunning sapphire and diamond ring.

"Oh my god!" Arizona gasps, covering her mouth with her free hand.

Callie is speechless. She had meant to leave it at home. She meant to only bring her the necklace she had purchased. The ring was supposed to have stayed home, neatly tucked away in the back of a drawer, for a while longer. But now, it is here, in Arizona's hands. Too late to take back. But maybe she doesn't want to take it back. Maybe this is how tonight was supposed to go. Maybe it was fate.

"Calliope..." Arizona says, once again, looking at the brunette who seems to have frozen.

Callie seems lost in her own thoughts and doesn't hear the blonde call her name.

"Calliope," Arizona says, a little louder this time, causing her own smile to fade.

"Oh, hm?" Callie says, finally hearing her.

Arizona knows that she loves Callie and to be honest, she found herself browsing rings the other day. It's been on her mind now for a few weeks. But to see that it has been on Callie's mind as well, makes her giddy.

"Oh. OH! I just ruined your proposal! Calliope, I'm so sorry. Here," Arizona says hurriedly, closing the box and jumping up off the bed, pulling the sheet with her. "I'm sorry, I should have listened to you and handed it back. Now I have ruined it for you," she says, handing the box to Callie, looking sheepish.

"Um, well, that is definitely not what I had planned," Callie says, nervously. Almost little too nervously for Arizona, as she continues to stand there, looking from the little blue box, back to Arizona.

Watching Callie not say anything, with a look of panic and fear start to cross Callie's face, Arizona starts to get a little nervous. She realizes she may have just ruined a proposal, but at the same time, Callie isn't acting like someone who was getting ready to propose. "I'm… just going to go grab a robe," Arizona says, as she points to the bathroom.

As Arizona makes her way to the bathroom, she thinks maybe Callie just feels thrown off balance because she saw the ring before she put her plan in motion. When she comes out a minute later, clad in the plush robe, Callie is sitting on the edge of the bed, holding the small box.

She kind of expected to come out of the bathroom and see that Callie was ok. Maybe find her down on one knee after gathering her thoughts and regrouping. What she hadn't expected to see was Callie just sitting there, with a look on her face that puts Arizona's stomach in knots.

Arizona stands there for a minute, waiting to see if Callie says anything, but she doesn't. "I'm just going to grab some clothes," Arizona says, starting to feel as if things just took a sudden turn. Nodding to herself more than anything, she makes her way over to the overnight bag and grabs a pair of sweats she had thrown in at the last minute, just in case. She really hadn't planned to need anything other than a change of clothes for tomorrow.

She pulls the sweats and an old t-shirt from the bag and makes her way back to the bathroom. She changes and hangs her robe on the hook, then with a heavy sigh, opens the bedroom door. Arizona walks into the bedroom to see Callie once again just sitting there, and all of a sudden, a feeling of hurt overtakes her, as she once again takes in the brunette's appearance. "I'm just going to grab my stuff and call a cab," Arizona says, grabbing her bag and reaching for her shoes.

When Callie can only seem to look up and not bother to say anything, Arizona takes that as confirmation she is doing the right thing. She hurriedly puts her shoes on, puts her clothes she had on earlier in the bag, and zips it. Grabbing the bag, she stands up and turns to look at Callie, who is only watching her and not moving.

"I'm sorry, Calliope. I um... probably assumed too much when I saw it. I... I'm sorry. I think I need to go though," Arizona says, turning to walk to the door.

"Where are you going?" Callie asks.

Arizona stops and turns around, surprised Callie said anything. "I think that I love you enough to know that you need some time," Arizona says. "Either that ring isn't for me, or you are having second thoughts. I'm not rushing anything Callie but you look terrified right now. So, I am giving you some space to sort things out."

"Arizona..." Callie says, eyes widening at the thought of Arizona leaving.

"I'll see you later, ok?" Arizona starts to leave but doesn't make it out the door.

Finally snapping out of her daze, Callie stands up. "Wait! Don't go. It isn't what you think."

"I don't know what to think right now. We had an awesome evening and then I definitely overstepped by opening the bag. I'm sorry for that. But I guess I need to know…. Who is the ring for?"

"For you," Callie says. "But," Callie pauses, looking for how to put her thoughts into words, but can't seem to find them.

"For me. But the thought scares you to death?"

"Arizona, it isn't that it scares me. I just meant to leave it at home. I did buy it for you and I did plan on giving it to you. Just… not yet."

"So, you plan to ask...just not yet?" Arizona asks.

"Not yet. I want to ask you. I just hadn't planned on it tonight. I just caught me off guard. But I don't think that is a bad thing Arizona. I was just having a moment. I mean, fate has dictated our relationship. It brought us together. Maybe I am supposed to ask you tonight."

"I'm not trying to sound harsh, but 'maybe you are supposed to ask'? Callie, that wasn't a moment you were having. You looked scared to death. And I think maybe you need time to figure out if this is really what you want. I'm not rushing you and I would never expect you to do something you weren't ready for. So if you want to wait, I'm ok with that. But I saw the look on your face, and whether you agree or not, I think you need to make sure that you even want that ring to be a possibility in the future. Because _if_ you ever ask me to marry you, my answer _will_ be yes. But I want to make sure that you are ready for that answer. I don't want the _possibility_ of me saying yes, to scare you. So, I'm giving you time. I don't expect a ring Callie. But I don't want to see fear on your face when you think about a future with me either. So… take some time. I'm not going anywhere but you need to figure out what you want. And that doesn't mean you need to propose any time soon if _this_... is what you want," Arizona says, gesturing between them. "You just need to figure out why the thought scares you so much. I love you and I know that you love me," Arizona says, leaning in to give Callie a small kiss on the cheek, and pausing just slightly. "But even if it doesn't happen now, you need to be a sure that a future with me doesn't terrify you. I need you to be sure that I'm who you want to be with." Arizona wipes away a tear, then turns and walks out the door.

Callie breaks down into a sob and she reaches for the handle. She opens it just in time to see Arizona round the corner. She starts to go after her but stops. She wants to run after her. She does. She bought the ring because she knew that was the ring she would one day give Arizona. But, why did she freak out the way she did? She loves Arizona and she wants a future with her. She goes to take another step to catch Arizona and she stops. Maybe Arizona is right... She needs to figure out what's going on.

Sighing, Callie makes her way back into the bedroom and closes the door. Heading to the bed, she sits with her back against the headboard and pulls out the box to look at the ring. If she doesn't know anything else, she knows she loves her daughter and that she loves Arizona. Tears begin falling as sobs start to rack her body. "What is wrong with me? Why couldn't I ask her?" Callie breaks down in tears, wondering how the night went so wrong.

An: I know my relationship wasn't all roses at first... I will try to have the next update up soon!


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Walking into the hospital, Arizona makes her way to Katie's room to find her mom curled up in a chair, covered with a blanket. Katie is sleeping peacefully so she makes her way to the other side of the room. She sits down and is startled by her mom's blue eyes looking back at her.

"Don't look at me like that. It's creepy," Arizona says, pulling her legs up to her chest.

"Your back early. Alone. Looking like a bum," Barbara says nodding her head as if she was agreeing with herself.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Ok," Barbara nods. "Are you here for the night?"

"Well, at least until Callie comes. You can go ahead and go. I appreciate you staying here with her, mom."

Looking at her daughter, it is obvious she has been crying. "You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

Sighing, Arizona shakes her head, but begins to talk anyway. "I love her mom."

"I know."

"And I love this little girl. And... and I just can't imagine my life without them anymore."

"I know," Barbara says sympathetically. "Did... did Callie break up with you?"

"Uh, no." Arizona says, with a bitter laugh. "Not yet, anyway."

"What makes you think she will?"

"Oh, I don't know. The fact that she bought an engagement ring. For me. But the thought of giving it to me scares the crap out of her."

"So she really bought it...," Barbara says to herself, but Arizona picks right up on it.

"Wait, you knew?"

"I came in a few weeks ago and saw her looking at them. She said she was picking you out a necklace or something and but then just started browsing. The one she was looking at was a beautiful diamond and sapphire ring."

"That's the one," Arizona says quietly. She said she didn't mean to have it with her. And I found it, then she freaked out."

"Well, maybe she wasn't ready yet."

"That much was more than obvious, mom. I haven't asked anything of her.. I haven't pushed her for anything. I have let her set the pace. So, no, I wasn't expecting a ring. I mean, I was stunned but excited when I saw it, because I thought that meant she was in the same place I was. But then, she got quiet and looked scared to death. Like she was afraid I would blurt out yes before she even asked."

"Well, if you weren't expecting it, why are so disappointed that she hadn't planned to give it to you yet?"

"Because, mom. You didn't see her face. I kind of knew she wasn't ready for it. But the look on her face made me wonder if she would ever be ready."

"The fact that she bought it to begin with should say something, Arizona. She didn't mean to have it with her. You found it. She was probably in shock. Don't confuse that with fear."

"But maybe that gut reaction is the real reaction. Maybe she hadn't really thought it through and she just liked the idea of it. That doesn't mean she wants this."

"Maybe you need to give her more credit. It sounds like she was honest with you. It sounds like she was caught off guard by you finding it. Arizona, don't decide how she feels. Let her figure it out and tell you, ok? That woman has been through hell and high water with a failed marriage and this little one. Give her some time to make sure she is really ready."

"I'm not rushing mom. I mean, yeah, if I'm being honest, I was looking at rings the other day. But I knew not to ask her yet."

"So if you knew not to ask her yet, then you already know she probably isn't ready for this. Emotionally, she has a lot on her plate right now. So if you know she probably isn't ready, why did you insist on her figuring things out?"

"Because, I need to know it is just because she isn't ready yet. But, what if it made it seem too real all of a sudden? What if it really hit her what she was thinking she wanted, that she really doesn't? What if it's more about me being a woman or something? I am her first, mom."

"Arizona Robbins, do not sit there and question that woman's feelings for you. Anyone with eyes can see it. She was willing to give up her parents for you, and now you want to question her. That alone should prove to you that she is in this. She has been a broken woman, with her past marriage and this little girl being sick. She has done well putting the pieces of her heart back together. Watching your child go through this... breaks it in more pieces than one can imagine. And her husband deserted her… left her to do this all on her own. That is so emotionally hard."

Letting her head fall into the back of the chair, Arizona closes her eyes. "I love her so much, mom. And I'm so afraid I'm going to lose her."

"So it's ok for you to be afraid, but not her?"

"That's not what I said."

"Isn't it though? She married someone and still lost them, maybe she has fears about being left? Maybe she wasn't sure how _you_ would respond to a proposal. Maybe she was afraid you would say no. I mean, after your dad, look at me. Fifteen years and still single."

"But you haven't met anyone. I told her that if she ever asked, that I would say yes."

"Just because you don't know, doesn't mean I haven't met anyone, dear. When you told her that, did you give her time to process or was that as you were leaving?"

Arizona doesn't say anything which gives her mom the answer she needed. "Right. So before you told her that, she didn't know. It's ok to be afraid. Don't assume you know her reasons for being afraid. Now, get some rest. This one was asleep early tonight so she will be up early for you."

"Thanks again, mom," Arizona says, as Barbara stands up and grabs her stuff.

"I can stay if you want to go..." Barbara says, gesturing for the door, giving Arizona one more chance to go back to Callie.

"No, I'm giving her space. I'm not sure I'm ready for rejection just yet."

"I told you, don't assume, Arizona. You are kind of putting yourself through this. If I learned anything about a relationship from your father, it's that you have to talk. Don't walk away from your problems. Sometimes," Barbara says pausing, "... sometimes giving someone space can be confusing and makes it seem like you are just walking away, which doesn't help anything," Barb says. "I love you. Call if you need me."

Arizona says, "I love you too. Thanks, mom."

XXXXXXX

"Come on Mark, pick up…," Callie says to herself as she holds the phone in one hand and the ring tight in the other.

After several rings, Mark's voicemail picks up. Irritated at herself… at the situation… at everything, she hangs up without leaving a voice mail.

Looking around the room, she says the sheet that Arizona was wrapped in just minutes ago. She sees the wine glasses on the night stand and the necklace box laying on the bed. "I can't stay here," she says, grabbing the necklace box and picking up the bag. She puts both boxes back into the blue bag and returns it to her overnight bag.

Grabbing a change of clothes, she makes quick work of changing, gathering her things, then checking out.

Once in the car, she debates on where to go, as tears are streaming down her face. She wants to go back and be with Katie, but she isn't in the frame of mind to be there right now. She picks up her phone and sends a quick text. After receiving a reply she heads towards home.

Sitting on her couch, with tissues in hand, she hears a knock on the door. She doesn't have time to answer it as it swiftly opens, and Addie comes rushing in.

"Callie, what's going on?" She asks, taking in the brunette's appearance.

"I think she might be leaving me," Callie says, breaking down in tears.

"Whoa, wait a minute. What happened? Weren't you supposed to have a big night out tonight?"

"We were. We did… until she left."

"What? No, what happened?"

Callie fills Addie in on the events of the evening, leaving out the sexy details.

"Wow. Didn't see that coming at all. Any of it. You actually bought a ring for her?"

"Yeah."

"Then you meant to leave it here but took it, she found it, you freaked, and she left."

"That about sums it up," Callie says, blowing her nose.

"Why did you buy the ring?"

"Because I knew it was for her as soon as I saw it. I knew that I wanted her to have it."

"So, when you pictured that in your mind, was it with the intention of wanting her to be your wife?"

"Of course. Why else would I have bought it?"

"Could you picture that in your mind? The whole white puffy dress and all?"

"Yeah. I could."

"So then, why did you freak out? I'm mean, yeah…you meant to leave it at home and wait, but you could have rolled with things. She never would have known you hadn't intended to propose tonight."

"I just… I don't know. I love her Addie. She is so good to me and to Katie. God, she doesn't even know Katie and she cares for her like she is her own kid. And I did buy the ring with the intent of marrying her one day."

"Are you sure you aren't confusing appreciation for love?"

"No, Addie. I love everything about her. I appreciate her being there, but I love her. I'm _in love_ with her."

"So, what is the problem? Is it the 'but she is a woman thing'?"

"No! Why would you ask that? We have been together for a few months now."

"As girlfriends. Not as future wives. Are you worried that she won't be able to... meet your needs? I'm just trying to help you out and talk through everything."

"No, that's…not it at all," Callie says, chuckling sadly. "Addie. I am not one to kiss and tell, but she does things for me that no one else has been able to do. She is amazing in that respect. And as far as just being a woman in general, I don't care about that. I love her."

"But, you were worried about your family at first. Are you worried about what they will think?"

"No. Either they accept it or they don't. I hope they will, but I don't worry about that."

Nodding, Addie leans back and stretches out on the couch, getting comfortable. "You already bought the ring, so it isn't like you are debating on whether you want to. Just when. But…why wait? I mean, you bought it. That means something, otherwise you would have waited to buy it to begin with."

"I don't know. I just…don't know. I want to marry her. She is so good to us. I can't imagine not having her in my life. I just, need more time. I need…"

"You need what?"

Sighing. Callie gets up and begins to pace back and forth, then sits down again, as Addison watches

"What do you need, Callie?"

"I need… I need to know that she won't ever leave. I couldn't handle that. I couldn't handle giving her my heart and her leaving me. I have a kid to think about. She already lost one parent because they wouldn't stick around."

"Callie… how did she react when she found the ring?"

"Um, she seemed surprised. She gasped and acted... excited, I guess. But then worried she ruined the 'proposal' she thought I had planned."

"And then you froze."

"Yeah."

"Callie, I have known Arizona for a while. I have never seen the woman do something she didn't want to do. But, really, what would she be able to do, that she hasn't already done, to prove to you that she isn't going anywhere? I mean, if she is willing to let you put a ring on her finger and marry her, what more could she possibly do to convince you she isn't going anywhere."

"I was married. Marriage isn't a guarantee! You see how well that worked out for me the first time!"

"She's not George."

Letting out a deep breath, Callie says, "I know that. I just, can't put myself in a position right now to take that chance. I love her, with every part of my being. And I guess, I'm not ready for the possibility that she will say no when I actually ask. Or that she will change her mind later and leave. I don't think I could survive another big loss."

"Well, it's hard to lose a wife if you don't have one to begin with. I'm not telling you to do something you just aren't ready for, I'm not. You have been through a lot and you have been strong enough to survive, basically without much support from anyone. I have a lot of respect for you, Callie. You have managed to go through everything you have been through and still have your head held high. You are a strong woman. I have to believe if you can come through this as strong as you are, that you are much stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"Addie, what if I'm never ready?"

"You probably should do some soul searching. I think you love her, and it seems like you want to marry her. But Callie, there is only so much she can do to convince you she isn't going anywhere. Promises are all we have. And yes, some people break them and it ruins us for a while. You can give her the benefit of the doubt and take a chance, maybe live happily ever after, or you can let your doubt win."

"I don't want to lose her."

"Maybe not. But not wanting to lose her might be the one thing that makes you lose her. Are you ready for that possibility?"

"Do you think she will leave me if I'm not ready to marry her anytime soon?"

"I can tell you what I think, but I can't speak for her. I don't think she expected a ring tonight and I don't think she will ever push you to do something you aren't ready for. But I can't tell you she will wait forever, either. That's something you two need to talk about."

Nodding, Callie reaches for a blanket on the back of the couch, as her head rests on Addie's shoulder. "Will you stay here with me tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll stay. But no funny business. I don't need Arizona kicking my ass," Addie says, getting a small smile from Callie

XXXXXXX

It was nearing ten o'clock, and Arizona and Katie have been engaged in various tasks throughout the morning.

Since Katie is starting to move her hands more, PT is encouraging them to bring in items such as plush animals. They were told small and thin so that she might be able to grab onto easily.

Arizona found a perfect set of plush animals, with long thin necks, perfect for grabbing. As she is talking to Katie and playing, she sees Callie come in the door.

"Hey," Callie says, making her way in, locking eyes briefly, then turning to check on her daughter.

"Hi," Arizona says, standing. She watches as Callie makes her way over to Katie and says hello, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Mommy missed you," she says, as she takes her hand and tickles the little girl's belly.

They have noticed that her eyes light up more if they have some sort of physical contact, whether it is holding her hand or playing with her hair.

Finally turning back to a quiet Arizona, she says, "I didn't expect to see you here."

"I have been here since last night," Arizona says, quietly. "I sent mom home. I hope that's ok…"

Nodding, Callie looks back at her daughter. "You know that's ok," Callie says, fighting a lump in her throat. Trying to look somewhat composed is harder than she expected it to be.

"I know we need to talk, but later?"

"That's fine. I wasn't expecting us to talk right now. Whenever you are ready," Arizona says, trying to let Callie know she isn't pushing her.

Callie gives her a weak smile, but doesn't say anything else. To be honest, she is almost ashamed of her panic attack last night. Over the course of the night as her mind worked through things, she realized that she didn't blame the blonde for questioning her. Had Arizona froze the way she herself had, she probably would have had more questions.

Callie sits down by her daughter and begins talking to her. Arizona can tell that the woman didn't get much sleep last night. She still looks beautiful, just tired.

Feeling emotional, Arizona says, "I'm going to run home and grab a shower. I need to do some of our laundry too. I will see you here in a little bit, ok?"

When all Callie does is nod, she leans over and gives Katie a kiss on her forehead. Turning back to look at Callie, she says, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Ok."

Arizona looks at Callie briefly, before shaking her head and walking around the bed to stand behind Callie. Facing the door, not looking at the brunette, she says, "I love you," then starts to head out the door.

Before Arizona gets too far, Callie says, "I love you too."

Arizona hears and pauses just for a moment, then continues out the door.

Callie wasn't surprised to find Arizona already here when she walked in. That's one of the things she appreciates and loves about the blonde… the love she has for her daughter. The blonde shoes it in everything the she does… for her and her daughter. She realizes that her decision is already made.

XXXXXXX

Callie has her head laid back on her chair, with her eyes closed. Katie is taking a nap And after not getting much sleep last night, she is exhausted. With still too much going on in her mind, the most she can do is close her eyes, and even that is proving to be difficult.

She hears a noise and expects it to be Arizona returning. When she opens her eyes and looks, it isn't the blonde that she has missed today. Even with everything they need to talk about, she has missed her.

Who she finds instead… immediately makes her sick to her stomach.

"Hi, Callie."

"Why are you here, George?"


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Arizona arrives home to a clean house. It should be clean though, she is never home, with the exception of a night here or there where she and Callie both come back for a few hours of sleep.

Bringing women home was never something she chose to do, instead going back to their house or, as she is almost ashamed to admit, taking them to a hotel for the night.

Callie has changed her so much. She has opened her eyes to a world that is so much more fulfilling than anything she has ever known. She knows the brunette loves her, she can feel it. She just doesn't know what the brunette is afraid of.

She and Callie exchanged keys a few weeks ago. It was done with the intent of simplifying things. One would often stop by the other's house to grab a forgotten item or to check to make sure mail was picked up. The exchange of keys was strictly a matter of convenience. Each one though, relished the idea of having the trust that act entailed from the other woman though.

When Arizona headed home to do her laundry today, she had stopped by Callie's to grab hers as well. Not that it matters a lot, laundry from both of them could be found in both places these days. They had been back to staying at the hospital every night, but the friends of the two women insisted that they could handle things and they should go back to heading home a few nights a week.

Arizona wasn't sure she should stop by Callie's, but the quick "I love you" from Callie eased her mind and she decided to go ahead and stop.

After she puts a load in the washer, she manages to grab a shower and clean up. When she is done, she starts another load and heads to the kitchen. Noticing she will have almost two more hours before the laundry is done, she decides to make dinner to take to the hospital. She doesn't want a lot of time to just sit and think. Looking in the cabinets and the fridge, she decides she has just enough to be able to fix a small pan of lasagna. Callie will definitely enjoy that, she thinks.

XXXXXXX

"What do you want, George? You have absolutely no reason to be here," Callie states as she stands to put herself between Katie and George.

"I came to see my daughter. Why else would I be here?"

"Out. Now," Callie insists, turning to make sure Katie is still napping.

"Callie… I just want to see my daughter," George says, pointing towards Katie.

"Out in the hall now, or I call security," Callie says, pointing to the hallway.

George holds his hands up and turns to walk out in the hall. Once out there, Callie has a quick word with the nurse and tells George to follow her.

Walking to the conference room, Callie opens the door and motions for George to enter. Once the door is shut, she unleashes on him.

"What the hell do you think you are doing here? We don't want you here."

"She is my daughter, Callie. I want to see her."

"Oh… why today? You have had almost two years. Now you want to see her?"

"Yeah, I do."

"No, that's not happening. You don't have any right to see her. You signed them away, without a second thought.

Callie is furious beyond words right now. As if the talk she needs to have with her girlfriend isn't weighing on her enough, now she has her ex-husband to deal with.

"I think after you hear what I have to say, you might think different, Callie."

"Like hell it will. We are done. If you so much as try to go back in that room, I will get a restraining order. You have no right at all to see her."

"She is still my daughter!"

"Oh, did you decide it was convenient for you now? You. Signed. Away. Your. Rights."

"I signed away custody. I didn't terminate my parental rights. There is a difference."

"You didn't want her! Don't come here now acting like you give a f… You know, you aren't worth my time to argue with. Go home George, and don't come back," Callie yells, pointing at the door.

"I think you might want to hear what I have to say," George says, pulling out a seat and motioning for Callie to sit as well.

"I don't know what you think you are doing, but we sure as hell aren't going to sit and have a conversation," Callie says harshly.

"Fine. Then I will talk and you will listen. Trust me, you will want to hear what I have to say "

XXXXXXX

Finally walking back into Katie's room, Callie can't get to her daughter quick enough. She sits on the edge of the bed, needing to be close to her. Everything is falling apart and she doesn't feel like there is anything she can do to stop it.

After George finally left, Callie had some decisions she needed to make. Hard decisions. Life-altering, life will never be the same, decisions. So… right or wrong, she made them. Then, she quickly set the ball in motion before she could question whether she was doing the right thing. She needed to do what was best for her daughter. Arizona would never forgive her for this, but she needed to do it.

Sometimes what we think is the best decision at the time, couldn't be more wrong though. Only time will tell how or if things will ever right themselves.

"I love you Katie bug," she says, reaching over to stroke her daughter's cheek with her thumb. "I can't wait until we can take that oxygen off for good. I can't wait to be able to talk to you," she says, with tears in her eyes.

"I was thinking that maybe we could try tomorrow," Arizona says, walking in behind Callie.

"What?" Callie asks, turning around.

Arizona takes in her appearance, and becomes worried. "Yeah. We have given her another couple weeks, I had actually already planned on it tomorrow anyway." Observing the woman, she asks, "What's wrong, Calliope?"

"I um…. I… we need to talk," Callie says, uncomfortably.

"I know. But I told you, we can wait. I'm not rushing you," Arizona says quietly.

"That's the thing. This… It um, it can't wait."

"It can," Arizona says, nodding.

"Not this time," Callie says, sadly. "Please, come with me." The tone in her voice is worrying Arizona.

Following their usual routine, Callie has a nurse keep an eye on Katie. She already spoke to them and let them know that under no circumstances was George allowed in the room.

Pulling Arizona in to the on-call room and shutting the door, Callie runs to the restroom. She barely makes it in time, as she gets sick, causing Arizona to rush after her.

"Calliope... here, let me get you a washcloth," Arizona says, reaching under the sink and pulling one out. She wets it and then hands it to Callie.

"Thanks," Callie says, as she takes the wash cloth and wipes her face off.

Walking back into the bedroom, Callie sits on the bed. However, when Arizona sits down next to her, she feels like she can't breathe and stands up, as she begins to pace.

"What's going on, Calliope? Whatever it is, you are making yourself sick."

Not knowing how else to say it, she decides to just say what she knows she needs to say. "Katie and I are moving back to California. We are leaving this week."

An awkward silence begins to unfold in the small on-call room. Arizona has a blank expression on her face at first as it evolves into one of disbelief.

"Calliope..." Arizona says, as she begins to digest what Callie just said. "No. No… what... what are you talking about?" Arizona asks, as tears immediately begin to fill her eyes, as she shakes her head, confused.

When she doesn't get an answer, she raises her voice just a little. "Calliope? What do you mean you are moving back to California? Why would you do that?"

Callie is silently cursing the direction her life has taken today. She is fighting an inner battle of telling Arizona the truth about what transpired, or making the break easier… although not any less painful, for either of them. Callie is not saying anything and it is just frustrating Arizona even more.

"Calliope, I need you to tell me right now, what you are talking about! Why? Why are you leaving?"

"I have to, Arizona..."

"What? No... no you don't," Arizona says, shaking her head as she moves to stand in front of Callie. She puts her hands on either side of her face, and says, "Please. Tell me what's going on. Why do you need to leave?"

"Arizona..." Callie says, "I'm sorry. I know it seems sudden, but…"

"Sudden? It came out of nowhere! I know you had a moment of panic last night, but... that's ok," Arizona says, stroking Callie's cheeks with her hands. "But, please. We can... we can figure this out," Arizona says, tears rolling down her cheeks. "We can figure this out. I promise! I'm not rushing you into anything. I know you aren't ready. We have all the time in the world, just don't go," Arizona says, as Callie reaches up to pull Arizona's hands from her face.

"I can't stay Arizona. I just can't. I'm sorry," Callie says, seeming to come to some sort of realization, as she suddenly regains her composure. "I don't expect you to understand. Even if I went in to all the reasons, you probably still wouldn't. I'm sorry."

"Try me… Give me one good reason! I know we haven't been together that long, but I love you! You told me you loved me! You don't have to go anywhere. If… if you need space, I'll give you space, but please… please stay."

"Arizona, I um… I have to do what's best for Katie and I. What you and I had, it's… been amazing. It has. I panicked last night, and I didn't understand why at the time, but I do now."

"What's going on, Calliope? Everything was fine yesterday. I'm not going to push you into something you aren't ready for. Did I do something? Talk to me," Arizona says, pleadingly.

"You wouldn't understand, Arizona."

"Not if you won't tell me," Arizona says, shaking her head. "I realized, after a lot of thinking last night, that you have been through so much. And… and I know that you are probably scared," Arizona hurries to say. "I know the last thing you want is to be hurt again. I don't care if we ever get married or not… I will be here. I'm not going anywhere and I will never push you into marriage. I promise."

"I know Arizona. This, the last couple of months, has been amazing. It has. And I believe you when you say you aren't pushing me. But, I need to do this. I just have some things I need to work through. I have already called and set up a transfer for Katie. They will be here Tuesday."

"You are really going to just… take her away and leave? I love you both." Arizona has tears freely falling at this point.

"I know you do, Arizona. And I'm so, so sorry. I have to do this though. I know that you have done so much for her and given her a new chance at life. I will always be grateful for that," Callie says, hoping Arizona knows she is being sincere. "I um, I have already let her doctors know we are coming," Callie says, not able to make eye contact now.

"I… I feel so… stupid. I thought," Arizona can hardly talk at this point, and sits down on the bed, letting her head fall down into her hands. "I thought we had something. And now…you are leaving and the worst thing is, is that you apparently don't think I deserve an explanation."

Callie doesn't know what to say. "I know that I have hurt you," Callie says, quietly. "I never intended for things to turn out this way. You have to believe me."

Shaking her head, Arizona gets up. "Do you love me?"

"Arizona… don't do this."

"Do what? Try to figure out what the hell went wrong? Try not to figure out why the two people who have come to mean everything to me are just leaving? I deserve a reason, Calliope."

On one hand, she knows Arizona deserves an explanation. On the other hand, she wants to spare Arizona. Because of who Arizona is, she would feel responsible for the situation she is now in, and she doesn't want that for the blonde.

Callie sighs as she reaches for Arizona's hands. "I do love you, Arizona. This wasn't just a fling to me. Sometimes love isn't enough though. I have a daughter to think about and I think it is best for her to be back to California."

Arizona is getting frustrated. She still isn't getting any answers. Arizona pulls her hands away, going from hurt to angry.

"So… you say this is for Katie, but for the life of me, I can't think of anything over the last few months that Katie has needed that I can't help you with. Unless… unless you decided she needs a father figure in her life."

"Arizona… no. It has nothing to do with that."

"Then what is it Callie? Because you aren't telling me anything, so the only thing I can do here is speculate. I have put myself out there for you and Katie in a way I never have for anyone else. I didn't have a choice in it, I mean, the heart has a mind of its own," Arizona says, throwing her arms up in the air. "But I put everything into this because I thought that you were worth it. But, I can see now where I stand with you. I obviously don't mean a damn thing to you if you can just up and leave."

"That's not true and you know it," Callie says, becoming aggravated at the situation.

"What I know…," Arizona says, shrugging, "…is that you don't feel like you owe me anything. I guess, I thought you loved me. Your actions right now are telling me otherwise. "

"Arizona… I do love you." Callie says, trying to will Arizona to believe her.

"Just… not enough. Not enough to be honest with me. Not enough to stay. Not enough to trust me with whatever is going on."

Knowing that she in fact can't let Arizona know what is really going on, as heartbreaking as it is, she does the only thing she can think of. She walks closer to Arizona and kisses her on the cheek, thankful she doesn't pull away. "I'm sorry," Callie says in a whisper, as she chokes back her own tears. Then, she makes a dash for the door before she falls apart in front of Arizona.

The minute the door shuts, Arizona collapses on the bed, erupting into sobs. She just watched the love of her life walk out of her life.

Out in the hallway, Callie can barely control herself, and rushes to the door across the hall. Once she is safely in the confines of the restroom, she breaks down in tears, crying. "What did I just do?"

AN: Hang in there... Callie's explanations are coming.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Arizona sits and cries for several minutes, before she becomes angry again. "No, no. If she leaves, it sure as hell isn't going to be because I just let her," she says to herself. She jumps up and sprints for the door, ready to dart down the hallway to find the brunette. A sound coming from the restroom across the hall catches her attention though. She quickly crosses the hall and rushes into the restroom to find Callie sitting on the floor crying, startling the brunette as she moves over to stand in front of her.

"It just... it just doesn't make sense, Calliope. I'm not buying it. You can say whatever you want, but you needing to leave for Katie is… is… a load of crap. What's best for Katie is keeping her here. With me… Where you and I can take care of her. You were with those doctors for almost two years and they did nothing for her! So it makes no sense whatsoever for you to take her back there now," Arizona says, almost out of breath.

Trying to dry her tears, Callie stands up. "It's not about the doctors Arizona."

"Then enlighten me! I'm not letting you go without a fight Calliope. I'm not. If you thought you could come into my life and make me fall in love with you, then just waltz right out of it, you are sorely mistaken," Arizona says, shaking her head, as she tries to dry her tears.

Callie is in awe of the woman in front of her. She expected Arizona to not want anything to do with her after she walked out of the on-call room earlier. She knows that the blonde loves her, but to see her here, fighting for her, is more than anyone has ever done for her.

"Arizona, it's complicated."

"If you are going to leave, I deserve an answer Calliope. Whatever it is, I can handle it. What I _can't_ handle, is just not knowing anything at all. Because what I keep going back to… is that you just don't love me and I don't think that's the reason. Please, I deserve an explanation."

Callie takes a second to rethink her decision to not tell her. She was trying to save her the potential of feeling guilty, but maybe Arizona is right. Maybe she needs to tell her. Maybe if she gets closure, it will be easier for Arizona to let her go. "Can we go back to our room?"

Arizona feels some relief wash over her. Callie just called the on-call room "their" room. Surely that has to mean something. "Um yeah, we will go wherever you want to go."

Nodding, Callie takes a deep breath and leads Arizona back across the hall. They may as well get comfortable. She realizes Arizona is right. If she is going to leave, Arizona probably needs to know why.

"Tell me," Arizona says, as the door is shut.

"I will tell you, but it doesn't change anything. I'm still going to go," Callie says, sadly.

"Just tell me," Arizona says, frustrated.

"George was here earlier," Callie says, quietly.

"You... You're going back to George?" Arizona says, upset.

"No! God no!"

Arizona sighs and sits on the bed. "Then why?"

Sitting down beside Arizona, Callie says, "He wants us to move back so he can see Katie."

"I don't understand, Callie. I mean, who cares if he wants to see her? You don't have to do what he wants. This still doesn't make sense."

"He told me if I didn't move back so that he could see Katie, he would take me to court."

"Calliope, he signed her away. You have custody, he can't take her away."

"He signed over custody, Arizona, not parental rights. Custody can be fought in court. He said if I didn't move back to where he could see her, he would take me back to court and fight for full custody. I can't lose her Arizona. I just, I can't," Callie says, crying.

"So... what? You are going to pack her up and move back because he wants to see her all of a sudden?"

"If moving back means I get to maintain custody, then yes."

"I don't think you should just give in and go just because he wants you to. But why didn't you ask me to go with you, if that's what you wanted to do? I may not agree that's the best decision, but if you believe that's the best thing for you, then I would go with you Calliope," Arizona says, standing up and starting to pace back and forth.

"You can't do that, Arizona."

"I love you both, so yeah, I can. Unless…you just don't want me to."

"You can't," Callie says, as she sighs, causing Arizona to look at her. "It's not that I don't want you to go Arizona, but… he made it clear that if you came too, he would still take me to court," she says, shaking her head.

"What? How does he know about me?"

"My mother. Apparently her silence lately wasn't just her being busy. She called and told him I was dating a woman."

"So wait… Your mom called to tell him you were with me… and now, he is coercing you into moving back to California to get you away from me."

"I can't lose my daughter, Arizona."

Arizona continues to pace back and forth, with Callie watching the emotions playing across her face, as Arizona ponders the situation. Finally, she says, "Callie, if you pack her up and move her to California, giving in to his demands, it might actually make things worse. It may end up being a mistake."

"How can you say fighting for my daughter is a mistake?" Callie asks, frustrated.

"You aren't fighting for her Calliope, you are just letting him win. You are letting him dictate your life. What happens when you get out there and you have been there for six months, or a few years, and he isn't happy with someone else you are dating or just whatever you are doing in general? What are you going to do when he threatens the same thing? You have to realize, if he is threatening to take you to court now, he will keep doing it, as long as he gets his way."

"But maybe he won't. Maybe..."

Arizona cuts her off. "If you start a sentence with the word maybe, then you really need to think that through a little bit more."

"If I stay here, he _will_ take me to court. I can't risk losing her."

"If you go, you are still taking a risk of him threatening to take you to court over something else down the road. Do you really want that man around her? He signed away custody because he didn't want anything to do with her."

"You don't think I know that? I have been taking care of her by myself for years! I know that. But I don't want to lose her."

"Calliope... I know you don't want to lose her, but there has to be a way to fight this."

"I need to go Arizona."

"You don't, Calliope. We can fight this, together. I will be right by your side the whole time. I don't believe a judge in his right mind would consider giving custody of any kind to George. Especially after he willingly signed her over without a fight already."

"I'm not sure I can take that risk though, Arizona. And it breaks my heart. Walking away from you earlier is one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. I love you, so much. I'm a mom first though," Callie says, crying.

"Calliope," Arizona says, pulling her in for a hug. "I'm so… so sorry. This is all my fault," she says, kissing Callie's temple.

"That's why I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want you to feel responsible," Callie says, through tears.

"I don't want you to go. I don't want you to go because I love you. I don't want you to go, because I love Katie. I don't want you to go, because I think I can take better care of her than anyone out there."

"I know. I know all of that," Callie says, pulling back to look at Arizona.

"You said earlier, that now you know why you panicked last night. Why?"

Sighing, Callie shakes her head. "Other than the fact that I'm just an idiot? I am so embarrassed about last night, Arizona. I bought the ring for you, because I can picture us growing old together. But I guess… I was afraid. I was married once and you see where that got me," she says, shaking her head. "I guess seeing you with the ring in your hands, I was suddenly afraid that maybe you would leave too, and I didn't think my heart could take it if you left. So I panicked. And then today, look what is happening," Callie says, tearing up again. "I am the one leaving you…"

"Calliope… when you walked out that door, I could have let you go. I came after you because I don't want to ever let you go. If you leave, it is not going to be because I didn't fight for you. I promise you, I will never leave you. But, seeing how torn you are, I… I don't think I can ask you to stay. I can't ask you to say and then have you resent me if something goes wrong in court. I can't be the reason you lose your daughter."

Not that she had stopped crying, but Callie starts crying even harder, and Arizona pulls her close and holds her. They stay like that for several minutes, before Arizona pulls back and tries to wipe Callie's tears away.

"I love you, so much, Calliope. I would marry you right now. That's how committed to you I am. If you had doubts last night about the ring and whether or not I am in this, I will tell you right now, I am totally in this. I'm head over heals in love with you. I love your daughter and I can't wait to see what a wonderful woman she turns into, because I know if she is half as wonderful as you, she will be amazing. I want to be there for her first day of school, because I believe she _will_ be going to school next year. I want to be there for her first date, when she gets her license, when she graduates and goes off to college. I want to be the one there with you. Other people left you, but I won't. I promise you, Calliope. I want you to stay so we can fight him, together, because I believe with every ounce of my being, that you would be given custody. But, as much as I want that, I still can't ask you to stay."

"Why couldn't you be a total loser? This wouldn't be as hard," Callie asks, causing Arizona to chuckle through the tears that are welling up in her eyes.

"I can try harder?" Arizona asks, giving a small smile, causing Callie to shake her head.

"Arizona, I love my daughter. I am so afraid of losing her, and I made a decision that I thought I needed to make, to ensure I kept her. And I'm sorry… so sorry. I'm sorry that I have hurt you. You have to know that it was not an easy decision. I love you, so, so much . And hurting you was the last thing I ever wanted to do. I knew that I was going to hurt you, and it made my decision that much harder. I'm still scared Arizona. I only get one shot at being a mom. And I can't mess it up. I…"

Tears falling freely down her face, Arizona starts shaking her head. "I understand Calliope," Arizona says, stopping her before she has to hear Callie say she is still leaving. "You will always be 'the one who got away' and…"

"Will you let me finish?" Callie asks, interrupting Arizona.

Confused, Arizona nods.

"I love my daughter, but I made a rash decision without thinking everything through, because I was scared. And I understand if you think that's a terrible excuse. Listening to you though, I think you are right. If I give in and go back to California, it is probably only a matter of time before he holds something else over me. I can't live like that. I deserve more and so does Katie. I'm still… scared. But I need to know, if I stay, that you forgive me. I know I messed up, last night and again today, terribly. I know my actions hurt you so much, and I'm so sorry. Will you forgive me?" Callie asks, hopefully.

Letting everything Callie just said soak in, she begins to smile. "You're staying?"

"If you forgive me, I'll stay. But I need to know I have a reason to stay. Otherwise, I don't want to be here knowing I can't have you. If I can't have you, I may as well leave anyway, because I don't think Incan see you and not be in your life. "

"Calliope, of course I forgive you. Didn't you hear a word of what I said? I love you. My love will always be forgiving Calliope. I would forgive you a thousand times over," Arizona says, pulling Callie in for a kiss. A kiss of hope and relief.

Pulling back, Arizona says, "I know you are scared, but I will be with you every step of the way. I promise. We will find the best lawyer. We will do whatever we need to do, to make sure you keep your daughter."

"I should have talked to you earlier. I was just so upset after he left and my first instinct was to just do whatever he wanted so I could keep her. And then I was afraid you would blame yourself because our relationship was what was causing me to have to leave. I didn't want you to blame yourself. But, the more you talked, I realized you are right. He will just find something else to hold over me. I don't know why I didn't think about that earlier."

"Because… you were scared. Most of us don't think straight when we are scared. But I need to know you will talk things over with me. If we are together, we need to include each other in decisions. Even the hard ones."

"I know. I don't know what I did to deserve someone as wonderful as you. You came into my life right when I needed you. And about last night…"

"Calliope, let's leave last night where it is. We both could have handled it differently, so let's just move on and maybe pretend it didn't happen."

"That's just it. I don't want to pretend it didn't happen. I mean, maybe parts of it. The truth is, is that I bought you a ring. The ring you held in your hand. This ring," Callie says, pulling the small box out of her front pocket and holding it in her hand. "I was an idiot last night."

"No, Calliope, you weren't. Your feelings are not something to apologize for. I just hate that you didn't talk to me about how you were feeling."

"I was wrong. When you found this," Callie says, playing with the box in her hand, I think I realized you might say no. Or if you said yes, that maybe you would change your mind later. I didn't freeze up because I was afraid you would say yes. I was afraid of the opposite. I just couldn't put my finger on it at the time. I know that isn't how it seemed, but it is truth. I'm sorry. I love you, so much Arizona. So I would like to do this the right way this time."

Callie takes a breath and gets down on one knee, as Arizona gasps, realizing what is about to happen. "Will you marry me?" Callie asks, opening the box and holding it up.

"Calliope… no, no, no….," Arizona says, shaking her head.

AN: Sorry it took so long to update, but things have been hectic. So, Callie is staying, but now we have to wonder what Arizona's problem is…


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"Callie, your last patient cancelled so you are free to go for the day," Addie says, walking into Callie's office.

"Great," Callie mumbles, rolling her eyes. "Of course I get done early today."

"What's wrong with you. You have been cranky all morning. I would have thought you would be glad to leave here early."

"It's nothing."

"Like hell it's nothing," Christina mumbles, hearing the conversation, as she walks in behind Addie. "You have been mumbling in Spanish all morning. You have never done that."

"She's right. Now spill…, " Addie says, expectantly.

Meredith walks in right as Addie says that. "Spill what?"

"We want to know why in the hell she is so grumpy today," Christina growls.

"It's not something I want to talk about," Callie says, standing up.

"Well, more reason to talk about it, if you ask me," Addie says.

Callie huffs and sits back down. She knows it would probably help her to work through some of it if she talked about it. That was part of her problem this past weekend. She didn't talk anything through and just reacted. "Fine. I proposed to Arizona and she said no. Happy now?" Callie crosses her arms and looks up at the ceiling, then back to the three women who are standing there.

Addie is the first one to speak, after the three stand there and look at each other, silently eyeballing the other to see who would have to lead the questions. "She said no? Seriously?" Addie asks, after the other two remain silent.

"Yep. Then she conveniently got paged for an emergency. Then, from where she has decided to go back to doing her own surgeries, she sent a text that she would be in the OR all night with the kid. She walked in just as I was walking out this morning. So, we haven't talked since."

"No, there has to be more to the story," Addie challenges, watching Callie start to fidget. "I mean, she is crazy about you. There is no way she would just say no, without a reason," Addie says, shaking her head.

"I agree. You are leaving something out," Christina says, giving Callie an incredulous look.

"Ugh," Callie mumbles.

"Spill," Meredith demands.

Sighing, Callie says, "I guess I should start with Saturday…," as she begins to hesitantly recap the past forty-eight hours.

When Callie finishes, the three women look at each other. "Ok, who is going to explain this one to her?" Addie asks.

"I got this," Christina says, looking at Meredith and Addie, holding her hands up. Looking over to Callie, she says, "Are you kidding me?"

"What?" Callie asks, exasperated. "I'm going to have to fight a worthless idiot for custody and on top of that, Arizona then said no! I'm staying for her and she said no! Well, I mean I'm staying for all three of us, but still. How is that not something to be upset over?"

"Ok, the custody issue I totally get being upset over. I would expect that. You'd be crazy if you weren't upset over that. But the proposal? I mean, really… She found the ring and you freaked. Then, you actually break up with her and say you are moving! She comes after you and you work things out, then after all that, you propose? You really thought that was a good time to ask?"

"Yes, because we just poured our hearts out to each other! I thought in the middle of heart-felt declarations was the perfect time to ask."

"No. Just no. Look, I'm sorry she was interrupted before she could explain why she was telling you no, but you are kind of an idiot on this one. I'm not a romantic person, but even I would have known not to ask right then," Christina says, shaking her head. "She said no because you both deserve to look back at the day you get engaged, and remember it for the good stuff. You don't want to look back and see it as the day you almost crushed her heart. When you ask her, you asking her should be the highlight of your day."

"She's right. I know hearing no for an answer and her rushing out kind of broke your heart a little bit, but Christina is right. It needed to have its own moment. It needs to be a wonderful memory later, not overshadowed by everything else. She wants to marry you Callie. Anybody can see that."

"It seems like I keep screwing things up."

"No, you just make impulsive decisions and don't think things through first. At times that is a good thing, but other times, it bites you in the ass," Addie offers.

Nodding, Callie sighs. "So, I already put a call in to my lawyer. He is going to start gathering information and be ready when we hear from George. I am supposed to go back and document everything to do with George and his relationship with Katie. So, I guess I will go back and change places with Arizona and start working on that."

"You want some company? We can come hang out with you," Addie offers.

"No, that's ok. I need to try to focus to make sure I get as much on paper as I can. It's hard to remember so much that you have tried to block out."

"Ok. But, call if you need anything. We are here for you, you know. Anytime. And... if you need help planning the perfect proposal, we are up for that challenge to. Because she _will_ say yes the next time you ask."

"Right now, I think I just need to get past this weekend and back to normal first."

"Well, don't wait too long. She will think you have changed your mind."

XXXXXXX

"Hey," Callie says, reaching over to nudge Arizona's shoulder, walking her up. Arizona was sitting in a chair by Katie's bed, but had leaned over and had her head laying on Katie's bed, with her hand resting over Katie's. The site made Callie's heart melt a little bit. "You must be exhausted after being in surgery all night," she says, still trying to wake the blonde.

"Hmm?" Arizona mumbles, raising her head to see the brunette watching her.

"Sorry to have to wake you, but it's time for you to go. I'm a few minutes early, so maybe you can go grab something to eat before you go in."

"No, I'm fine. I don't really have an appetite today," Arizona says, looking over to see Katie is napping. "I can't believe I fell asleep on her. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Looks like she was exhausted too."

Standing up, Arizona pulls Callie over by the window. "Look, about last night, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to be gone all night and not get a chance to explain. I wasn't saying no, I just..."

"It's ok, Arizona. As a matter of fact... just forget it happened. I take it back."

"What? You proposed! You can't just take it back," Arizona says, dumbfounded.

"Well, I do. I take it back. I get it. It was stupid of me to ask then."

"It was stupid to ask me to marry you?" Arizona scoffs, unsure where Callie is going with this.

"That's not what I said, Arizona. I said it was stupid _of_ me to ask. And it was. With everything going on, it wasn't the best time to ask. I should have waited."

Arizona doesn't say anything, but has a look of uncertainty on her face as she considers what Callie just said. "You are really taking it back?"

"Yes. For now. And you said no anyway. So yeah, I take it back."

"I told you, I wasn't saying no."

"You're right. It was actually, "No, no, no…""

"Calliope. It wasn't a no, not like that anyway. I just…"

"I know. Like I said, I get it. You deserve something more romantic than me just blurting it out."

"Calliope, you deserve the world. This is more about you than me. I know your last marriage didn't work out for you. Personally I'm glad it didn't, or I wouldn't have you. But when we get engaged, we will get married and it will last forever. Our lives are far from perfect, but I want you to have everything, including a romantic proposal. I want it to be everything you deserve, not just a high on emotions moment. I'm sorry though about last night. I really didn't intend on being gone all night and leaving you hanging like that."

"I think I was more mad than upset. I mean, you had already said you would say yes, and then you didn't. So it wasn't like I was questioning whether you wanted to, but I was questioning why you said no. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, it does. Calliope, I do want to marry you. More than you know. I know nothing will ever be absolutely perfect, but I want it as perfect as we can get it. You deserve that."

"So the next time I ask, you will say yes?" Callie asks, hopeful.

"Yes. I will say yes. I promise," Callie says, leaning over to give Callie a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"I'm glad. Did you talk to your lawyer?"

"Yeah,…" Callie goes on to explain what Marshall, her lawyer, told her earlier in the day. "…so, I'm going to make a list of when he started not spending time with her to how eventually he didn't at all. I will work on that this afternoon so Marshall has it."

"Ok. Well, I need to go. Her numbers are looking even better today. When I get back tonight, we are going to take that bipap off. I didn't want to do it without you earlier or I would have already done it. I wanted us both to be here."

"I'll be looking forward to it. Thank you for waiting on me. I can't wait. Hopefully she will be ok without it this time."

"Just think good thoughts," Arizona says, looking back at Katie.

XXXXXXX

Callie just finished her write up for the lawyer when Arizona walks in carrying a big bag. "Hey," she says, out of breath, sitting the bag down.

"Hey, you. What's all that?"

"I brought us dinner. I don't want us to leave after we take her mask off, so I made sure we don't have to. Teddy and Mandy helped me out. I texted them this morning and they made stuff and brought it in for me. So not only do we not have to go out, it's homemade. With Teddy's, I can't promise quality, but what Mandy made is always delicious."

"You amaze me. Everyday. You think of just about everything, always."

"I'm just trying to take care of my girls," Arizona says, leaning down to give Katie a kiss on the cheek, then turns to give Callie a kiss.

"I love how I'm the last one you kiss now," Callie says with a look Arizona can't place.

"What? I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make you feel like you were second best here."

"No, that's not what I meant. Let me rephrase it. I love that I'm not the first one you always kiss. The fact that you love my daughter enough to make sure she knows it… that's the way to a mother's heart, you know? When you show Katie how important she is, it makes me fall in love with you more and more."

Arizona smiles, but shakes her head. "I'm sorry you haven't had good luck with her father showing her how special she is. But I don't ever intend for her to doubt how important she is to me and how much I love her."

"There you go again," Callie says, tearing up.

"Well, about we put this mushy stuff on hold and see about getting this mask off?"

"Sounds good," Callie says, giving Arizona a kiss.

The two women walk over to Katie, and Arizona reaches for the tablet and makes a few notes. Setting it back down, she walks over to Katie. She gently talks the little girl, waking her up. Once Katie is awake, she begins to explain they are going to take off the mask. Arizona makes a point not to do anything unless she explains it to Katie first, even if she doesn't fully understand what she is saying.

"So, here we go Katie," Arizona says, smiling, as to show the little brunette that there is nothing to he afraid of. Arizona pulls the mask off, as the two women watch to see how well Katie does with breathing on her own.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

"You can't just sit and watch her breathe. It will drive you nuts. She is sleeping, so you should be too."

"I should be the one saying that to you."

"Come on. Come lay down with me. It's been almost a week now and she is doing great. Let's go get some sleep while we can."

"Sorry. I really should be the one calming you down. I just… I only meant to come check on her and come right back to bed. I guess I lost track of time."

"I would say so," Callie says, chuckling.

Standing up and kissing Katie on the cheek, she brushes her hair back behind her ear and turns to see Callie smiling.

"What?"

"You are amazing. Completely and utterly amazing. I just want you to know that."

"Well, everyone else would say that is debatable."

"Nah, I think everyone else would totally agree. Now, let's get some sleep. She will be up before we know it," Callie says, holding her hand out for Arizona to take.

Making their way back into the on-call room where they have stayed every night for the past week, Callie sighs contentedly as she sits on the bed then lays down to get comfortable.

"You know, it seems I don't have to worry as much now because I have you to do it for me."

"I'm sorry. I just… I don't know. I mean, being a doctor is one thing and the worry we have for our tiny patients. I've just never been on this side of things," Arizona says, laying down and pulling Callie in to wrap her arm around her.

"it's different when you're the parent, huh?"

"Yeah. I mean, no… I mean, you are obviously the parent. I just…" Arizona contemplates what to say. "I guess it is just different being on the non-medical side."

Sighing, Callie pulls away from Arizona and leans up on her elbow, so she can see Arizona better. "A week ago, you took Katie off the machines and she has been breathing on her own since. And for a week, you have spent every second you could with her, afraid something was going to go wrong, when you knew statistically, every second she was off the machines, the better her chances of staying off of it were. You are more than her doctor Arizona. It's ok to feel that way."

"Your daughter is amazingly strong. She is a fighter. I don't know why I am feeling this way. It should be me comforting you, you know?"

Smiling, Callie traces her hand along Arizona's jawline. "You are forgetting, I have been a parent for four years. It's not that I just get used to her health being in question or get used to things being uncertain, but I have had four years to get used to this feeling. This is new for you. It's overwhelming at times, but you will learn to adjust and cope with it. It's never easy watching and feel like you are waiting on the other shoe to drop. It's just… you learn that being a parent is living in a constant state of fear. Even when she was healthy, before all of this happened, I worried all the time. I'm used to this. But, I know it's a new feeling for you, and I just want you to know that I understand, but it will get easier."

Arizona was hanging on every word Callie just said. She exhales a deep breath. "But, I should still be the one helping you to do deal with this."

"I don't think you got my point," Callie says, reaching to bring Arizona's hand up to her mouth for a gentle kiss.

"No, I get it. I know you are used to dealing with the uncertainty. But, I should still be the one comforting you."

"I am, but that's not the point I was trying to make. I… I think you are much more than her doctor Arizona. I don't think you have realized it was even happening, but you are feeling like a mom, Arizona. You have become a mom and didn't even really realize it was happening. And being a mom comes with all these feelings that we can't control and they overwhelm us and they take hold of us. People can explain what it's like to be a mom, but I think that until you become one, you have absolutely no idea how all-consuming it is. And, I could be wrong, but I think that's what's going on. I think you are a mom now and with it, you have all these feelings that you never had to worry about before. It's just… indescribable. And I get it."

"Callie, I'm not… I know that's not… I mean, you are her mom. I know that. I'm not trying to… "

"Arizona. Breathe," Callie says, sitting up. "I know that you know I am her mom. But, we are going to spend the rest of our lives together, even though you just turned down my proposal, and…"

"Calliope…" Arizona says, blowing out a breath of air, moving her bangs slightly as she rolls her eyes.

Chuckling, Callie says, "I'm just kidding. But… I know as sure as we are sitting here, that we are going to spend the rest of our lives together. And maybe we should have had this talk before now, so that I know what you want, as far as Katie is concerned."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I should have brought it up before now, about what kind of role you want in Katie's life. Because, I have to be honest, when I decided that you were it for me, I knew I wanted you to be Katie's mom. I want that for her… for you be a mom to her as much as I am. And to me, you are her mom, whether you realize it or not. And I think that's why you are beside yourself with worry right now. I think you are feeling like her mom. And to me, that's a good thing. It's an amazing thing. But.. I don't know if you think that's a good thing. Maybe you don't want to be a mom. Maybe you didn't want this. Maybe you just wanted to be like a… like a cool aunt or something. Maybe you just want to be the step-mom."

"Calliope… you, you really want me to be her mom?"

"Of course I do, Arizona. You put her first before anyone or anything else. You show up for her. You love her. That's what a mom does. But… if that's not what you want…"

"No! It is!" Arizona almost says, a little too loudly, cutting Callie off. "I mean, it is. Being her mom is as much a part of my dream as marrying you is. I mean, I didn't understand why parents got so crazy… but I get it now. And I think you are right. I mean, I have been having all these feelings and I've been making myself sick, worrying about whether she is going to just quit breathing. And I know she is hooked up to monitors, so we will know if that happens, but it's just, I want to sit and just watch her breathe. Like every breath, I want to watch. I couldn't put it into words until you said what you did, but I think you are right. I think… I think I feel like a mom. And it's the best but most terrifying feeling in the world."

"It is," Callie says, grinning, as she reaching out to cup Arizona's cheek in her hand, then leans in to give her a kiss. "I love you. I love that you love Katie. And whatever happens with this trial that I know is going to happen, I want you to know, that George is nothing but a sperm donor. As far as I'm concerned, she is our daughter Arizona. Ours."

"You really mean that?" Arizona asks, timidly.

"I do. You love her in a way that I could have only hoped for, Arizona. I don't want you to feel like this is something you have to do though, if you need more time… I mean, I would understand that."

"Calliope, I don't need more time to know that I love that little girl, and that I can't wait to be there, every step of the way."

"Good, then come here momma," Callie says, pulling Arizona closer. We need to get some sleep, because our daughter will be up before you know it."

"I love the sound of that."

"Me too. Me too…" Callie says, kissing Arizona on the forehead.

"You know, I think this is the longest we have went without having sex," Arizona says, as she plays with the skin she finds under Callie's shirt.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. Also a joy of parenting. By the time we have laid down this week, we have been exhausted."

"No need to be sorry. Just means we have a lot to make up for."

"Maybe if she has another good day tomorrow, we can see if someone can come and sit with her for a little while and we can see about making some of that up?"

"Oh, I love the way you think, Calliope," Arizona says as her hands begins to still its movements. "I love you."

"I love you too, Arizona."

XXXXXXX

When Callie wakes up, the bed is once again empty. She looks in the bathroom and it is empty as well, meaning she knows where Arizona probably is. She makes her way into the bathroom and gets ready for the day, making the bed and gathering their things to take back to Katie's room.

Making her way into Katie's room, she is met by the most precious site. Sitting in the chair, with Katie on her lap, Arizona is reading her a story. Without all the tubes now, it is a lot easier to move Katie around, and they have taken to holding her a good bit over the last week. Not only has she been breathing on her own, but she is moving her hands so much better and holding onto their hands more. She hasn't found her little voice yet and Callie is aching to hear her try to talk again. The therapists told them the more they talk and read to her, the quicker she may try to mimic them and use her own voice.

"I figured I would find you here," Callie says, making her way over to give both her girls a kiss.

"Sorry. I just… couldn't sleep. And when I came in, her eyes were wide open so we have been cuddling ever since."

"Well, I think she is starting to feel a lot better. She has been awake a lot more the past couple of days."

"Yeah, I think so too. PT came by a little bit ago and said that a speech therapist was going to come in and start working with her this week. They said they want to meet with you for a team meeting in the next day or two. They are wanting to start coordinating with all the therapists and get everyone on the same page."

"I'll make sure we schedule it so we can _both_ be there," Callie says. Not that she has had anything come up to where Arizona hasn't been there, but she wants to make sure Arizona knows she doesn't want her there just as her doctor… but as her equal. As her other mom. Everything with George makes this complicated, but she intends to make sure Arizona feels as much a part of all decisions as she can.

Smiling, Arizona nods. She can see that her life just changed it an amazing way, and she can't wait to see this little girl grow up and to know what role Callie wants for her. She pretty well knew that's what Callie wanted, but she knew not to assume. Truth be known, she knew as well that the talk they had last night should have already happened, but she is so glad they finally talked.

Hearing someone else enter the room, a man dressed in a suit, holding a manila envelope in his hand cleared his throat. "Is there a Calliope Torres here?"

Her heart sinking, knowing what that envelope contains, she clears her throat. "Um, that's me," Callie says, stepping closer to the man.

Walking closer to Callie, the man holds the envelope out. "You've been served. Have a good day."

Closing her eyes, she grabs the envelope and shakes her head. She knew it was going to happen, but she thought she had a little more time.

"Calliope…" Arizona says, standing to gently lay Katie back on her bed, watching as Callie just stands there, with tears welling in her eyes.

Arizona gets Katie situated and makes her way over to Katie. "I'm right here…"

Nodding her head, she looks to the envelope and holds it out to Arizona. "Will you open it? I can't… I just can't look."

"Yeah," Arizona says softly, taking the envelope from Callie. Taking a deep breath, she slowly opens the envelope , pulling the papers out and sitting the envelope down on the table. Looking at Callie before her eyes drift back to the papers, she takes in the printed words before her, then closes her eyes.

"What is it?" Callie chokes out.

"He filed for full custody," Arizona says, quietly. Then, just as quickly, says, "But we knew this was coming. And we are ready. The lawyer has been amazing and told us what you… what we could expect. So… we've got this. George isn't going to win this one."

"I know we were expecting it, but it doesn't make it any easier. I hope you are right. But…"

"No. No buts, Calliope. He may have started this war, but we will win it. We have to believe that all the way through this. We have to. Life didn't bring us together to have George tear us apart. Our family. Is staying. Together."


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"Are you sure about this?" Arizona asks, as Callie stands by the door with her purse in hand.

"Yes, Arizona. Your mom is capable of calling us if she needs us."

"Arizona… Good gracious, you are only going to be gone a few hours and Callie had to twist your arm for that. Now go. This little one and I will be just fine. There are plenty of doctors around if we need one."

Rolling her eyes, Arizona says, "I know that. I just… I just think we should maybe wait another night."

Callie looks at Barbara and then back at Arizona, as a mischievous look graces the brunette's face.

"We planned on doing this a week ago… before we got the subpoena. But, then we didn't feel up to leaving, so we have put it off for a whole week already. We can't put it off again because I leave for California in two days. If we want a date night, it needs to be tonight. However, if you want to stay with your mom and Katie, that's fine, I'll just go and do _everything_ we were going to do together _,_ all by _myself_ ," Callie says with her eyebrows arched, causing Barbara to chuckle as her daughter's cheeks start to flush.

"Um, I think we are good to go now," Arizona abruptly says, giving Katie a kiss and making her way to the door, causing Barbara and Callie to start laughing.

"Oh, you better keep her, Arizona," Barbara says to her daughter. Then, looking at Callie and laughing, she says, "You have her number."

"That I do! Thanks, Barbara. Call if you need us."

"I will. Now, go… have fun… and be careful."

XXXXXXX

"When you said you would do this all by yourself, you really wouldn't have, would you?" Arizona asks, making her way up from under the covers, placing light kisses along Callie's stomach.

"Well, obviously I couldn't have just done _that,_ but, you know… I could have done some of it."

"You know, just thinking about you doing that, is a pretty hot mental picture for me," Arizona smirks.

"Can I tell you something without you getting all smug?"

"Of course…" Arizona says, curiously, watching a blush creep up Callie's cheeks.

"After we met… I think I touched myself more in that couple month period than I ever had in my life. You did things to my body before I even realized what was happening to me," Callie says, remembering all the times she had to take things into her own hands.

"Is that so?" Arizona asks, huskily.

"Yeah."

"So…what happened? We met and you went home that night and thought about me while… you… took care of things?"

"Well, no, not exactly like that," Callie chuckles. "It, um, it started out as just an increased frequency. I mean, I didn't date and you know, I still had needs. But I was doing it more and I just couldn't figure out why. I mean, I thought it was just pent up stress at first and I needed to blow off some steam. But then, I realized that nights it happened, it was usually after you and I had some kind of run-in that day. It wasn't until the night your shirt got wet at the office, you know… the night before my grand opening…"

"Oh, I remember," Arizona says, kissing down Callie's neck, making her way to her chest.

"…and we were standing so close together, and you were looking at me like you were. And then I actually realized that I was more turned on by you than what I realized. When I got home that night… a cold shower didn't come close to calming me down."

"Really?" Arizona asks, her hands beginning to feel her way around Callie's body. "You were that turned on?"

"Mm hm."

"And what did you do about it?" Arizona asks, bringing a hand up to run her fingers under Callie's breast.

"I was actually a little overwhelmed that night. I think… no, I know, I had ever been turned on by a woman like that. I mean, like ever. That night, it was the first time I actually pictured you in my mind while I touched myself. It was all so new. I kept remembering how good it felt to stand that close to you earlier that night. I pictured the look in your eyes when you told me that I shouldn't joke around about things with you, because you might do something that I might not like. I remembered the way your eyes looked. It's the same look you get now when you are turned on."

"Oh, I remember how I felt. And I was. You were playing with fire and didn't realize it. If Teddy hadn't of interrupted when she did… I wanted to kiss you, so bad. I probably would have because just being near you, it was hard to control this pull I had towards you. I didn't know you, but I wanted you. I don't know that you were ready for it yet though, so it was a good thing Teddy showed up."

"I think you are probably right. But I can tell you, I knew that you wanted to, and that was such a turn on. I had thoughts I had never had about a woman that night. And… just for the sake of honesty, I came not once, but twice that night, thinking about you."

"Mmm, Calliope," Arizona says, taking a nipple in her mouth suddenly, as Callie arches into her, making Arizona feel the need to straddle Callie's leg to find a little friction, for the throbbing between her legs. "I can't tell you how much of a turn on that is, to know that the you touched yourself while thinking about me. But, for the sake of being honest, I have to tell you, I thought about you too, while I did the same thing that night."

"Arizona… Mmmm, keep doing that. Oh!" Hearing Arizona admit to doing the same thing was proving to be more of a turn on than she expected.

"I love to hear you talk while we are in bed. I love to hear what you like… what you want… what you need. Never quit telling me what you want, Calliope," Arizona whispers as she makes her way down Callie's body once again.

"I want you to make love to me again…"

XXXXXXX

Walking back into Katie's room a few hours later, both women are giggling as they make their way through the door. As they walk in, Katie's eyes find them and they see her visibly get excited. She starts moving her hands and starts to make some indistinguishable noises, but noises none the less.

"Hey baby," Callie says, letting go of Arizona's hand as she makes her way over to her daughter. Barbara stands to move aside, letting the women both get closer. "Hey, mommy and momma are here," Callie says, causing Barbara to abruptly turn to look at her smiling daughter.

Barbara doesn't comment on the new title, but just watches the women interact with the little brunette, and how they are encouraging her to continue to make noises. Over the past several days, she hasn't made much noise and after only a few hours away, she seems to have made great strides.

"What did you do, mom? It looks like you are a miracle worker here," Arizona smiles proudly.

"Well, nothing I didn't do with you all the time. I've been singing to her. Her little eyes light right up. She didn't make much noise until you two walked in that door though. Maybe it wouldn't hurt if you two left the hospital a little more often."

"Mom, it's been a crazy couple of weeks, and we were worried about being too far away. And, Callie has to leave for California anyway, so she didn't want to be away from her more than she had to."

"Well, I'm just saying, I think if she is going to have this reaction when you leave, you need to try it more often. So, Callie," Barbara says, turning to look at Callie.. "speaking of California, do you know how long you will be gone for?"

"Um, no, not really. I'm hoping it is done within the first day. My lawyer says this shouldn't take long. I mean, it's not like the man has done anything to prove what a great dad he is, so we are really hoping for one day. The lawyer said two days at the most though. He says it is rare for custody hearings to run longer than that."

"I can stay here with Katie if you both want to go. I have nothing going on and I don't care to stay here one bit."

"That's ok, Barbara. I would really rather not expose Arizona to George, any more than necessary. On top of that, as bad as I hate to say it, it might make it worse to have her there, since that's what part of his gripe is, in the first place. Even if I wanted her to come, I'm not sure I could get her away from Katie," Callie says, giving her girlfriend a smile as the blonde blows a raspberry on Katie's cheek, making the little girl smile. Smiles are something that just within the past few days they have been seeing more of, which is a good thing. Any muscle movement at all is a good thing.

Barbara just nods, smiling at her daughter. "Well, if something happens and you change your mind, just let me know."

"Actually mom, since Callie and I usually split the day here, maybe you could take Callie's shift in the afternoon while I'm working. I was going to take the whole day, but if you could sit with her, I could still work."

"Well, I'd love to come sit with her. Just text me and tell me when to be here and I'll be here."

"Awesome! Thanks mom."

"Anything for my… granddaughter," Barbara says, winking, letting the women know she heard how Callie referenced Arizona earlier.

Smiling, Arizona just nods. "Yeah, you should probably figure out what you want to be called. I'm sure you don't won't your granddaughter calling you Barbara."

"Katie and I already decided... We are going to go with Nanna. Katie grinned when I ran that one by her earlier," Barbara says, winking, causing Arizona to giggle.

"I should have known you already had something figured out," Arizona says, rolling her eyes.

"Of course. I was the wife of a marine for a little while. I learned to be prepared," she says, grabbing her bag and leaning down to pat the little brunette's cheek. I'll see you soon, sweet pea. You two, try to keep those smiles under control or the whole world will know what you have been doing tonight," Barbara says, giggling.

"Mom…."

"Love you girls! Text me," she hollers, heading out the door.

Arizona starts shaking her head. "I don't know who is worse, you or her, talking about s.e.x.," Arizona spells out.

"You know, Katie is only four, you don't have to spell it out."

"Not taking any chances, Calliope. I see little patients all the time repeating things parents say. I'm not going to be one of those parents that say stuff in front of their kids when they shouldn't," Arizona says, then starts smiling.

Turning to face Callie and reaching for her hand, she says, "Thank you, for giving me the chance to be her mom. I promise," she says to Callie, then turns to look at a smiling Katie. "I promise to try to be the best momma I can be. Always. I know I'm going to mess up, but I promise to always try my hardest to do the right thing."

"She knows you will, Arizona," Callie says, putting her arms around Arizona's waist. "Look at her watch you. She already loves you, so much. I can tell."

"I love her too," Arizona whispers, wiping a tear that is starting to fall.

"Well, how about we pull that couch over here and we can order a pizza, watch a movie, and have a family night before she crashes for the evening. It's already kind of late so I don't think she will be up long after we pick out a movie."

"Sounds good," Arizona says, pulling out her phone.. "I guess if we would have ate dinner earlier, we wouldn't be hungry now, huh?"

"I had plenty earlier," Callie says, smacking Arizona on the butt, causing the blonde to giggle.

"Well, if you play your cards right, maybe we can have dessert later," Arizona says, wiggling her eyebrows as she holds the phone up to her ear to place the order.

"Mm, I love dessert," Callie says, winking.

XXXXXXX

"You sure you don't want me to go? Because I can…" Arizona asks, as the two women make their way to the on-call room after their movie.

"No, I really think it will make it worse if you are there. And… before you even think it, it isn't because I'm ashamed to have you there. He is just being… a pain in the ass about everything as it is, and I just want it over. I know Katie would be fine here with your mom, but I would also hate to have something happen and have us both be a whole plane ride away."

"I know. I would feel better being here, but I would go if you wanted me too. I just hate for you to have to face him alone. You know, maybe you can see if Addie or Christina would go with you. I'm sure if I bought their tickets, they would."

"I'll text them first thing tomorrow," Callie says, moving to sit on the bed and pull her night clothes out of the overnight bag.. "But, I can buy their tickets. You don't need to."

"I'm just trying to take care of you."

"I love you for it, but I'll get them."

Nodding, Arizona watches as Callie starts to change into her pajamas. "Are you ok? I mean, I know we had a nice evening. A really nice evening… but I know you also have a lot on your mind," Arizona asks, sitting beside Callie.

"Yes and no. I mean, the past week, I have been worried sick. And I think I needed tonight, to get away, more than I thought I did. I love Katie, with everything I have, but I just needed a minute though, you know? But, I think I am to the point where I have worried all I can. I have done everything the lawyer has asked. We have statements to submit for evidence, we have everything we can think of. I just hope it is enough."

"Callie, the man is an ass. He has went months without even checking on his daughter. I'm surprised he even told you about sending his lawyer that morning mom was here, to make sure she was improving and your mom hadn't lied to him. We have several statements from several nurses stating that he didn't come to spend time with her. He has nothing. A judge will see that he is crazy. They just have to."

"I hope so. I just can't stand the thought of losing her.

"You won't. Like I said, the world brought us together. It's not going to tear us apart now."

"But… what if he gets joint custody? What do we do then? Maybe the judge decides to just split the time."

"Then we move to California. We will do whatever we need to do. But whatever it is, we do it together. And actually," Arizona says, starting to fidget, "I was, um, thinking. What would you think about me maybe selling my house?"

"If we stay here, you don't have to though."

"Um, well, I was kind of hoping that we could… maybe live together. But, we don't have to. I mean, maybe you aren't ready for that. And that's ok. Totally, ok. Fine, even. It was… just a thought."

Looking at the nervous blonde, Callie says, "Arizona…"

"I mean, really, it's ok. Don't worry about it. It was just a crazy thought."

"You didn't let me finish," Callie says, giving Arizona her famous raised eyebrow. "I would _love_ nothing more than for us to live together."

"Wait… really?" Arizona asks, starting to grin.

"More than anything. So, Arizona Robbins, will you move in with me?"

"I mean, if you really want me to, I guess I can," Arizona says, shrugging as she gives Callie a big smile showing off her dimples.

"Oh stop it," Callie says, laughing. "See, in the face of so much uncertainty, you still give me reasons to be hopeful. I love you."

"I love you too."


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"Have you heard anything?" Teddy asks, as she and Mandy make their way in the door of Katie's room. Both of them smile, seeing the blonde sitting in the chair, holding the little brunette. The blonde has changed a lot in the past several months. All for the better, but they are still getting used to this version of their boss and friend.

"No. Not a word. And I don't want to text her in case she is in the middle of something. But, it's nearly five o'clock their time. I mean, surely they are done by now. Maybe you could text Addie?" Arizona asks, hopefully.

"Yeah. Just give me a minute to pull my phone out of my purse," Teddy says, sitting her purse down on the counter by the sink. Pulling it out of her purse, she sends a quick text, then says, "There. Now we wait."

"I don't have a good feeling about this. I mean, they were supposed to be there at nine this morning. It's just… she would have called either way, right? I mean, if she was done, she would have called, right?" Arizona asks, worriedly.

"I would think so. I bet things got held up and they are just running behind."

"I hope you are right. I just… have a nagging feeling that something isn't right…."

"Addie will text back soon. Just be patient," Mandy says. "In the meantime, how is this little one doing?"

"She is doing ok today. She is starting to let us know when she isn't very happy. She starts to get really fidgety and her facial expressions give everything away. She is just like Calliope. Right now, that is such a great thing. Before, she couldn't really show much emotion so, for now, it is good. I'm sure later on, we will get tired of knowing she isn't happy about something," Arizona says making a silly face at the little brunette. "She hates to have you touch her feet. She makes a face every time."

"Now Robbins, don't be messing with that girl's toes just to make her mad," Mandy chuckles.

Teddy is laughing, when the phone in her hand vibrates, signaling an incoming text. As she pulls it up and reads it, she makes a face.

"What? What is it?" Arizona asks, worriedly.

"She says it isn't going well. Something about them questioning Callie's mental status?"

"What? Are you kidding me?" Arizona says, furrowing her brows, and shaking her head.

"Wish I was. Says it has to do with her going to therapy a while back and it looks like the hearing will continue tomorrow. She thinks it is about to be adjourned for the day though."

"I can't believe that, that… man! He has a lot of a nerve. I mean, he doesn't want everything that comes with this," She says, nodding her head down to the little girl in her arms. "He just wants to punish Callie for something that has nothing to do with him. If he cared at all, he wouldn't have given up custody to begin with. And now…. And now he wants to question the woman that has taken care of his daughter when he wouldn't? And not because he couldn't, but just wouldn't?"

"I Know. It doesn't make any sense. Not at all," Mandy says, shaking her head. "We see things like this all the time at office, but it is different when it hits close to home."

"I should have went with her. I should have known something would come up and she would need me."

"Arizona, she isn't alone. She has Addie and Christina. They will be there for her. I know it sucks, but they will take care of her."

Sighing, Arizona shakes her head. "I just don't understand why he is doing this, you know? I mean, he had his chance before and didn't want it. And now, just when things are good for them and she is improving… he wants to come and ruin it, all for the wrong reasons."

"I know. It sucks, all the way around," Teddy says. "But, hopefully the judge sees that. He has to," Teddy offers.

"I hope you are right," Arizona says, quietly. "I mean, I kept telling her she has nothing to worry about. I mean, who would give someone custody of a child they just willingly signed over custody over to just months ago? But… what if she chose to fight and it goes wrong? What if she resents me?"

"Arizona, you said yourself the other day, that she is doing this for her. That she said if she didn't, he would eventually find something else to hold over her. So you shouldn't feel guilty, no matter the outcome."

Arizona scoots up and stands, then situates Katie back in bed. Turning to look at Teddy, she says, "I feel like whatever happens, is on me though. I mean, it is because she is with me that he is doing this. Period. If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have to worry about going through this."

"But… like we just said, Arizona. She knew if it wasn't over this… her being with you, that he would have picked something else to hold over her. It is a power play, that's all. Just don't jump to conclusions," Teddy says, looking to Mandy for a show of support.

"She's right. Just be patient right now. It will all work out."

Teddy's phone buzzes and she looks down. "Adjourned until tomorrow. They are going to try to get Callie to grab a quick dinner. Addie says she wouldn't eat lunch," Teddy says, looking up from her phone.

"She is probably a nervous wreck right now. I hate it she is so far away."

"I need to call her," Arizona says, picking her phone up.

"Actually, why don't you just give her a quick text and tell her to call you when she is ready. Let her get her thoughts together before she calls, so she can explain better what went on," Mandy suggests.

"Um, yeah, your probably right. It's just killing me to not know what's happening."

"I Know. Just let her catch her breath, though."

Nodding, Arizona sits back down and offers seats to the other two women. "Thank you, for being here.". She pulls her phone out and send a quick text to Callie, telling her to call her later, but she wants her to eat first.

"That's what friends are for…" Teddy and Mandy echo.

XXXXXXX

"Hello?" Arizona says, hurriedly as she answers her phone.

"Hey."

"Calliope… are you… are you ok? I mean, I know you're not, but…"

Sighing, Callie pulls her legs up under her and pulls the blanket she brought from home up to cover herself up. "I'm sorry I didn't call earlier. That wasn't fair of me. It was such a long day and all I wanted was to be with you and Katie. Damn it…. I don't know what I ever saw in him. He's turned into someone I don't recognize at all, Arizona."

"No, don't be sorry. I told you to go eat first. Addie texted Teddy so we had an idea of what was going on. I wanted to be there with you, so bad. I couldn't think of anything else today. What happened?"

Giving a disbelieving chuckle, she says, "He is actually questioning my mental status because I went to therapy. I mean, seriously? My kid is in what we think is a coma and her father becomes a deadbeat dad and decides he just doesn't want to be a father anymore. Now, I'm the one that has my mental health questioned because I wanted to talk things over with someone who happens to get paid to listen? And he willingly signed over custody after that happened anyway! And now he wants to use it against me because it is convenient?"

Listening to the woman she loves sounding so broken is tearing Arizona up inside. She just wants to be there to hold her, but she can't. "I'm so sorry, Calliope. You don't deserve this. At all. You did the right thing then. You are a better person, a stronger person because of it. Don't let him make you feel otherwise."

"The lawyer, his lawyer, kept questioning whether I was still mentally sound, because I am making life decisions that aren't in line with my previous beliefs. He is making it sound like my decision to be with a woman is because I'm still in an unstable mental state and that maybe I'm incapable of making sound decisions for my daughter. I mean, what even does that mean? That choosing to be bi means I can't be of sound mind?"

"That's his whole gripe to begin with, isn't it? He doesn't want you and I together, for whatever reason. So it isn't really a stretch for him to try to use that very thing against you. Not saying it's right or that I agree with that line of thinking, but I can see why he would try to use that."

"I know. I just… it's frustrating and it makes me so mad. I mean, we argued his lack of effort in spending time with her… we pointed out how he just willingly signed her over… I mean, I think our case stands on it's own, but I mean, if he can discredit my mental status at all, then he might have a shot, Arizona. We can't… we can't lose her to a monster," Callie says, starting to cry again.

"Shh… it's ok. That's not going to happen," Arizona says, stronger than what she really she is capable of right now. "Loving someone different is not a crime Callie. People become attracted to the opposite sex later in life all the time. That doesn't mean anything. He is the crazy one if he thinks that it does. I mean, can you get your therapist to testify? Is that a thing?"

"we debated it, but my lawyer decided against it. He is actually going to call Addie to the stand to attest to my mental stability. She is afraid they will twist her words, but it's the best shot we have. They kept questioning every decision I have made. Like… why I up and moved her across the country and everything else about the move and how I wasn't even with her every day after the move. And now… I'm questioning what kind of mom I am."

"Calliope, no. No, don't do that. You are an amazing mom. A wonderful mom who uprooted her life to make sure her daughter had the best doctors. A mom who put a little space there to be able to function and to find the means to be able to provide for her long term care. You were providing for your daughter, Calliope. Children have to stay in facilities all the time that aren't close to homes. And parents do the best they can to spend what time they can."

"I know," Callie says, quietly.

"And I hope that your lawyer pointed out that you were working and securing a way to financially be able to provide the best facilities for her. And that… that man… just let her go. He didn't even care enough to have visitation. He will try to put a negative spin on everything, Calliope. Just trust your lawyer to make your case. That man is just trying to get to you. Don't let him."

"It's just hard. Addie and Teddy took me out to eat, but I had no appetite at all. I just want this all to be over."

"Me too, Calliope, me too."

Arizona doesn't say anything for a minute, rather just listening to the sound of the soft breaths she can hear through the phone. "I never liked listening to someone breathe before. But I love to hear you breathe. It is calming to me," Arizona says, softly. "I know that might sound weird, but just hearing you breathe and knowing you are there, it's so soothing. Because I know as long as you are there… even when we aren't physically together, that everything is going to be ok, one way or another. I love knowing that you are mine."

"God Arizona… you just… you always say just what I need to hear even when I don't know what it is I need to hear to begin with. Just knowing I have you… that Katie has you, gives me the strength to make it through the next couple days."

"I love you, Calliope. I will always love you. No matter what."

"I'll always love you too." After a silent pause, she asks, "How is Katie? She doing ok?"

"She is fantastic. You know, I think we might take her out for a walk this weekend. I think she is getting to where she is up to a little stroll through the park out back. What do you say?"

"That…. sounds amazing," Callie says. And even though Arizona can't see her, she can hear the smile that she knows is gracing Callie's face.

"Good. Now, why don't you get off here and get some sleep. You need your rest for tomorrow."

"I just wish you could wrap me up in your arms, you know?"

Sighing and wishing she could make that happen, but knowing she can't, Arizona says, "I know. Me too. Soon…"

"Soon. Give our daughter a kiss for me."

Smiling, Arizona says, "I don't think I will ever get tire of hearing that. Of course I'll give her a kiss for you. We love you."

"I love you too."


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Waiting. Waiting is hard for anyone, especially on a parent waiting to find out the fate of their child.

It had been a long morning of back and forth questioning, lots of tears and frustration, and she is now just ready for all this to be over. Even though she feels confident in her case, especially after Addie testified on her behalf, she is still nervous that things won't go the way she wants them too. The fear that you may be about to lose custody of your daughter, is almost terrifying.

After a short recess, the judge begins to walk back into the court room as someone calls his name from behind him, gathering his attention. Callie is holding her breath as she watches the judge say something to the bailiff, then turn to head back to his chambers.

"What is that all about?" Callie whispers to her lawyer. "I can't handle this waiting…," Callie says, nervously.

"I'm not sure. We will have to wait and see though," her lawyer whispers back, looking around to see if he can get a feel for what's going on.

About a half hour later, the judge finally reemerges.

"All rise!"

The judge enters and takes a seat, instructing everyone else to do so as well.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I had a matter to attend to. Now… in the case of O'Malley vs Torres… Mr. O'Malley, just mere months ago, you signed over physical and legal custody… washed your hands clean of everything to do with your biological daughter. Now, from what Miss Torres has said, it wasn't until her own mother alerted you to her current lifestyle choices to which she herself disagreed with, that you seemed to have a change of heart. Now… I'm not usually one to allow this, but a call came in just as I was walking in earlier, and some information was then faxed and asked to be submitted to Miss Torres' lawyer. Would the bar approach the bench please…"

Callie watches as her lawyer looks to her, then makes his way to the bench. The judge holds out copies of documents for each lawyer to take. Both lawyers look over the document given to them, to which George's lawyer becomes irate at.

"With all due respect, I object, your honor. This wasn't properly submitted. You can't take just anything into evidence that anyone decides to send in!" George's lawyer is furious.

"I agree. However, this happened to be faxed to me from an old college friend who happens to be a state supreme court judge from Florida. I understand that although it is not common practice, it comes from a trusted authority and seems very relevant to the case. So, having said that, although not typical, I am allowing the lawyer for Miss Torres the choice to actually submit it or not. What is it going to be?" Looking to Callie's lawyer for an answer, the judge raises his eyebrows.

Confused as to what is going on, Callie looks on.

"Your honor, I would like to enter one final piece of evidence. I would like to submit to the court… a document, showing a payment of 2.5 million dollars, paid to the account of George O'Malley from the account of Lucia Torres. I want the date of this transaction noted as being the exact date that Mr. O'Malley filed this request for custody."

Callie gasps, completely dumbfounded about the recent development. Hurt at the actions of her mother but elated that this is the nail in the coffin for George. After this revelation, it would be hard to ever justify giving George custody.

The judge holds his hand out, ready to officially accept the new piece of evidence. As he takes one last look at it, he looks to Callie, then over to George. "I already had my decision made, but this new piece of evidence just verifies that I am making the right decision." As the lawyers are instructed to return to their seats, the judge gathers the papers on decision. "I hereby grant sole legal and physical custody of Katherine O'Malley, to her mother, Calliope Torres."

At hearing this, Addie and Christina… who had both been waiting quietly seated behind Callie, stand to their feet, erupting in cheers for Callie, who lets out a sob she had been holding back.

"Order…" the judge yells, trying to quiet the two women behind Callie. The two woman look apologetic, as they once again take their seats.

"Now, I usually make my ruling, and then move on. However, filing for custody after being bribed… has got to be one of the more tasteless acts I have seen. Mr. O'Malley, apparently you need to be reminded that this a real child, not a pawn to be used between different parties. I strongly recommend you take to heart what I'm about to say. I better not ever see you back in my courtroom again, especially pertaining to this young child. As a matter of fact, I am going to request that the council draw up paper work, and make available for you to sign immediately, the termination of your parental rights."

As soon as Callie hears this, she breaks down in tears. Not sad tears, only happy ones. At most, she was hoping to walk away maintaining legal and physical custody. It never occurred to her that he would be made to sign over all parental rights.

"I will add to that, if it is not done by the end of the day today, I would encourage Miss Torres, to bring him back to court and we will see what we need to do to make it happen. So… I suggest you save us all the trouble Mr. O'Malley, and sign when you have the chance. Council, I expect to see this paperwork pass through my office by the end of the working day today. Court adjourned."

XXXXXXX

"You told Arizona the good news so what are you stressing out about over there?" Christina asks, as she watches Callie chew on the corner of her lip.

"I am just thinking about how to celebrate tonight."

"No. We are not going to talk about your kinky sex life. I don't want to hear it."

"For your information, I was not going to talk about my sex life with you. I usually talk about that with Addison," Callie says, laughing.

"True story. Feel free to talk to Yang about it though. My ears have heard enough about Arizona's talents to last a while."

"Oh stop it. You know I don't talk about my sex life. Not unless you ask, anyway," Callie says, chuckling.

"Ok… anyway…. What are you thinking about doing to celebrate tonight?"

Callie gets a dreamy look, and begins to tell them what's on her mind.

XXXXXXX

"Alright munchkin, mommy said she would be back anytime, and that she will fill us in on all the good news she has for us," Arizona says, watching Katie make a face as she grabs ahold of her foot again.

"Hey…," Callie says, as she makes her way into Katie's room.

"Hey, there you are… How are you doing?"

"I am just… emotionally drained, but so glad to be back with my girls," Callie says, making her way over to hug Arizona. "How's our girl?"

"She's good. Really good. She's been making faces at me about all day," Arizona says, laughing.

"Might that have something to do with you bugging her?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Sure you don't…." Callie says, laughing. "Teddy was texting Addie and saying you were doing everything you could to aggravate her."

"Ok… but only because it gets a reaction from her. Which is what we want, I might add," Arizona says, smiling and letting her dimples pop.

Callie reaches down and plays with Katie's bangs as she leans down to give her a hug. "Everything is going to be just fine now, sweetie. You are right where you belong."

Arizona watches them for a few minutes, and can see Callie visibly relax for the first time in weeks.

"So… are you going to fill me in on what happened?"

"Uh… yeah. But first, can you run down and grab me something to snack on? I am starving and didn't stop to eat before heading here. I actually haven't had anything since yesterday. I just… couldn`t stand the thought of food."

"Yeah. I will. You definitely need to eat. Just sit and visit with Katie and relax, I will be right back."

"Thank you…" Callie says, leaning to give her a kiss.

Watching Arizona leave the room, she then looks back to Katie. "Ok, munchkin. I need your help with something. You think you are up to it?" Not that she can really help, but Callie wants to involve her in this somehow, and it is all she has thought about since she boarded the plane in California to head home.

About twenty minutes later, Arizona walks back in, to find Katie propped up slightly in bed, with Callie standing right next to her, having changed into a yellow dress and is holding a red rose.

"Calliope, you look beautiful," Arizona says, as she sits the snacks down that she brought back. "What`s going on?"

Callie takes her hand and reaches over to squeeze Katie's hand, then takes a deep breath.

"Arizona… I love you. We both do. I know Katie can't say it yet, but she does. I see the way her eyes twinkle when she watches you. She does, she loves you. I…, I had this all planned out… What I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. But now that you are here, I just… I can't think straight." Callie takes another deep breath and smiles. Because although she is nervous, she is so happy right now with the step she is about to take.

"When I met you… you ignited a passion in me that I didn't even know was there. I have felt more alive in the past six months than I have in a lifetime without you. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. To us," Callie says, motioning to Katie.

"You two are the best thing to ever happen to me too," Arizona says, taking a step closer to the two brunettes.

"Today… everything fell into place as I was fearing things would fall apart. I wanted to tell you earlier but I didn't want to do it over the phone. Um, George… he signed away all his rights. ALL of them. It all happened so fast. I… I didn't even think the courts could work that fast, but, it's done. She is all mine."

"What? Are you serious? The judge… was that… was that part of the ruling?" Arizona asks.

"Not exactly. And I will tell you every single detail later, but, the result is that I don't have to worry about him ever again. We don't have to worry about it. She is all mine. But.. I want to change that," Callie says, looking over to Katie. "Katie has something for you," Callie says, looking down at the small stuffed animal Katie has her hands laying on.

"That's a monkey…," Arizona says, taking the small stuffed animal from Katie to look at it, when she feels something on the monkey hit her finger. "Calliope… what…," Arizona pulls the monkey up to see what she wasn't expecting to see. There, hanging by a small colored piece of ribbon, she sees a ring. The same diamond and sapphire ring she saw just a few weeks ago while they were at the Bed and Breakfast. "Calliope…," Arizona says, with wide eyes, hoping beyond hope that Callie doesn't get cold feet this time.

"Arizona…" Callie says, taking the stuffed monkey from Arizona and pulling the ring off that she had tied to it's tail. Looking at the ring, then back to Arizona, Callie gets down on one knee. "I know this isn't the most romantic setting, but I just… I _can't_ wait another minute," Callie says, shaking her head, as Arizona brings her hand up to cover her mouth. "From the minute I sat down on the plane, I just couldn't wait to get back here. The only thing I wanted to do was get back to the two of you."

"We couldn't wait for you to get back either," Arizona says, smiling.

Taking a deep breath, Callie smiles. "Arizona, you make me happier than I have ever been. You make me so happy and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to spend every minute of my life loving you like you deserved to be loved. But as much as I want you in my life, I want you in Katie's life too. I couldn't ask for someone to be any better of a parent to her than you are. You put her first and you love her unconditionally, which just makes me love you more if that's even possible." I want you to be Katie's mom. I mean, you are already are, but legally as well. I want to file papers, I want it to he legal… if that's what you want too, I mean."

"You know I want that," Arizona says nodding quickly as tears continue to stream down her face.

"That makes me so happy to hear that. It really does," Callie says, nodding.. "Now, for the next part," Callie says, with a small giggle that she can't seem to contain. "I know that the last time I asked this, the timing was wrong. But… please, please know, that I'm asking this time because I know it is the right time to ask. I want it all with you. I want everything. So, Arizona Robbins…," Callie says, as she carefully gets down on one knee. "I love you, and plan on showing you every day, for the rest of our lives, if you will let me. Will you marry me?"

Arizona can't hold the tears back as they stream down her face. Six months ago, she had no idea that her life would revolve around the two brunettes that are both looking at her, waiting for an answer that will forever change all of their lives.

"Of course I'll marry you!" Arizona laughs a joyous laugh as she bends down to give Callie a kiss and to pull her back up. "Of course I'll marry you. I love you so much," Arizona says, giving Callie a kiss.

Pulling back, Callie reaches for Arizona's left hand, and slides the ring on Arizona's finger, where it fits perfectly. "There. It is finally where it belongs," Callie says, softly.

"I love you," Arizona whispers, as she looks down at her finger and rests her forehead against Callie's.

"I love you too."

Arizona pulls away and holds onto Callie's hand, as she walks towards Katie.

"Hey sweetie… I just want you to know that I love you too, and I can't wait to officially be your momma."


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

"I can't believe you planned ahead and talked Addie into staying with Katie tonight. I figured she would be exhausted from the trip," Arizona says, pulling the blanket up from the foot of the bed to cover the two of them up. After arriving back at Callie's, it was only a matter of minutes before they ended up in Callie's room. Things heated up against the back of Callie's closed bedroom door, and then the two slowed things down enough to make it to the bed. "Actually, I'm surprised you weren't too exhausted for what we just did. And you outdid yourself at that," Arizona says, chuckling.

"Addie happens to be a hopeless romantic, so we lucked out," Callie says, kissing Arizona's hand that she is now holding. "And… I knew if you said yes, I wouldn't be able to wait to bring you to bed. I am tired, but I have so much to be excited about. I am pretty sure it is all adrenaline right now and you won't be able to get me to wake up in the morning."

Nodding, Arizona pulls Callie closer. "Well, you had nothing to worry about with me not saying yes. I already told you, I would say yes the next time you asked."

"Yeah, but I never dreamed you would have said no the first time I asked," Callie says with a small shrug.

"Fair enough. But, I just wanted it to not be overshadowed by other things. And the way it worked out, I still kind of feel like you aren't going to remember it as much because of the court case."

"Actually, it was the absolute perfect time. Because, when I look back on this day, I will remember it as being the day all my dreams came true. I will remember it as the day I got both my girls. That's what I will remember."

"Yeah, that's what I will remember too," Arizona says, smiling. "You not only asked me to be your wife, but you asked me to officially be Katie's mom. I know that is a big step."

"Not really. You are already her mom… I just want it to be legal as well," Callie says, leaning to give Arizona a kiss on the cheek.

"Me too. You have no idea how happy I am right now. I feel like I'm on cloud nine," Arizona says, dimples popping. "Oh… and just so you know… I don't think waking you up in the morning will be a problem. I have my ways, you know."

"Oh, do you now?" Callie asks, chuckling, as she runs her hand along Arizona's neck.

"Oh yes. As a matter of fact, I think I can wake you up and have you asking for more of what I have planned… over and over," Arizona says, leaning down to take a nipple in her mouth and releasing it with a slow tug."

Giving a little moan, Callie can't quite believe the way the blonde can turn her to putty in her hands… and mouth. "You didn't have to stop."

"I did. Because you need some rest. I'm surprised you lasted this long. It will not help my ego if you fall asleep on me," Arizona says, looking up with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, I can see where that might sting a little," Callie says, giving a small chuckle.

"So, not to burst our bubble, but what happened that George ended up signing away all his rights? You never did tell me the details."

"To be honest, I don't know how it all happened. It kind of came out of nowhere. I mean, the judge was walking back into the courtroom this morning and was detained. When he came back out, he had some documents…," Callie says, pausing to think. "He called both lawyers up and then presented them to both. He said some judge in Florida sent them and he wanted my lawyer to decide whether to use them as evidence or not."

"What was it?"

"I still can't believe what it was. It…. It was a document that showed a money transaction. My um… my mom, she made a huge transfer to George the day that he filed for custody."

"Calliope…" Arizona starts, shaking her head. "I can't believe that."

"Yeah… I know. To be honest, I haven't even stopped to process that part of it. I mean, my own mother wanted George to take my daughter away from me, all because she doesn't like my current lifestyle. It was never about George wanting her, which I knew he didn't. He didn't want her when he had her. This is all my mom. My own mother, Arizona."

"Calliope," Arizona says, scooting up in the bed, and turning to look at Callie. "I am so sorry. I never thought she would be that… be…."

"So evil? It's hard to even think of he right word to describe her. I mean, I don't know how someone could do that to their own daughter. To Katie…"

"I know. I don't even know what to say."

"I know. I wouldn't either. And don't get me wrong, I don't know how I can ever forgive her for this, but at the same time, I can't help but be thankful. I mean, the judge was so appalled that George took the money, he all but ordered him to sign away his rights. He moved things through faster than I have ever seen before. What I don't understand is where the information came from to begin with. My lawyer knew nothing about it."

Arizona starts fidgeting with the comforter and avoids Callie's eyes.

"Arizona… what is it?"

"I might have an idea, but I don't know for sure."

"What is it?"

"I want to tell you, but I'm afraid you will be mad."

"Arizona…" Callie says slowly, adjusting to where she can see Arizona's face a little better.

"I called your dad last night."

"You what?" Callie asks, her eyebrows shooting upwards with a look Arizona couldn't quite place. "I haven't even heard from him since before all this happened."

"Calliope… last night, you were so worried. George was playing dirty and I didn`t think it would hurt anything to call your dad. I told him what had happened and he said he had no clue about any of it. He had no idea George was taking you to court. He loves you. He came back and made peace with you after he found out about us. He wasn't the one with the problem. He said he actually felt bad he hadn't been in touch earlier."

"I asked you not to go behind my back and call my parents over things. Do you not remember that?" Callie was getting upset now.

"Look… your mom called George, not your dad. And he had no idea that anything had happened. He has just been busy. I know you aren't happy with me right now, but it sounds like he went and did some digging and found their financial records. I mean, with all their connections, you know he knew a judge who could send them out there."

"I get that. But, I asked you a few months ago not to go behind my back and ask my dad for things," Callie says, irritated.

"Calliope… this was a huge deal. I needed to help, and… and that was the only thing I could think of doing that might make a difference. I know how you feel about your mom, but he isn't your mom. And under any other circumstances, I wouldn't have involved your dad. But I didn't want to have something happen and realize I didn't do everything I could. I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself."

"So, really what I am hearing, is you didn't really think I would keep custody of my daughter. You expected me to lose her."

"What… No! That is not what I said. It is my job to protect you. At all costs, you and Katie both. It is on me to make sure you guys are safe and taken care of. And I'm sorry if how I went about it upsets you, but I did what I thought I needed to do. I knew when I made that phone call that it might upset you, but it was a risk I knew I needed take. My job is to keep my family together, even if it means doing something that you have asked me not to. I don't think you had anything to worry about, but people are crazy Calliope. Just because I wouldn't be able to fathom George getting custody, doesn't mean there wasn't a crazy judge on the case who wasn't rational. I was making sure I did all I could to help. Because I felt… useless. It was a last minute thought but I started thinking that I just, I needed to do something. And I know he has connections. I just had a gut feeling that I couldn't let go. Like I said, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. Even at the risk of making you mad, which it obviously has."

Disentangling herself from Arizona, Callie rolls over in bed to face the opposite direction.

"Calliope…"

"I get it. I do. But on top of you doing something I had already asked you not to do, I feel like you didn't have enough faith in me."

"No. No, no…. I told you, I didn't doubt for a second that you deserved custody. But I do doubt the stupid people that sometimes make up our court system. I mean, rulings are made all the time that shouldn't be made. I see it so often in my practice. I deal with so many families that can't understand why a worthless parent gets equal custody. I have so much faith in you, Calliope. You are a wonderful mom. I can't imagine what would have happened if George won any type of custody. But if you need time to be mad at me, that's fine.. I knew it was a possibility , but honestly, I didn't hear back from your dad after the first call. I didn't think he could help."

"I'm not… mad. I'm just… I don't even know. I know the outcome is what we wanted and I know you wanted to help. But a part of me is just…"

"Are you mad at me, or mad at your mom? Because I get that I did something you asked me not to do, by contacting your dad. But maybe… maybe you are more upset with what came out of that call."

"Of course I'm mad at my mom. I'm mad as hell at her. But that still doesn't change the fact that you went behind my back. And I know you did it with love and concern, but I don't want our whole relationship to be you trying to bail me out of things by calling my dad all the time."

Rolling over and standing up, Arizona reaches for her shirt that is laying on the floor.

"Where are you going? We disagree and you are going to leave?"

"I'm not leaving. I'm going to go grab us a snack and hopefully give you time to process some things. I know going behind your back upsets you, but I did it for the right reasons and I would do it again if it meant George was out of Katie's life."

Signing, Callie shakes her head. "Don't go."

"I told you I'm not leaving. I'll be right back. I promise."

"Ok," Callie says watching Arizona pull the shirt over her head and make her way out the bedroom door.

Sighing once again, she lays back on the pillow and replays their conversation in her mind. As much as she hates to admit it, Arizona is right. No, she didn't like Arizona calling her dad, but she is more upset over her mom than what she realized earlier.

Standing up, she grabs a silk robe from her closet and makes her way down to the kitchen. When she walks in, Arizona has a tray with some snacks already on the counter, but is stood standing still, with her eyes closed.

"You ok?"

"That depends. You still mad at me?"

Walking closer to Arizona, Callie stops a few inches away and shakes her head. "No.I'm not made at you. I Don't necessarily like that you called him, but, I do understand why. I am mad at my mom though. And hurt. I just don't understand her and why she would do that. I'm sorry though. I should not have taken it out on you."

"Calliope, I get it. I do. I wish I could take away the hurt that she has caused you. And I realize you finding out that I called your dad didn't exactly help things."

Shaking her head, Callie says, "No, I think my mom just bothers me more than I want to admit. Can we just move on from this? It has been a roller coaster of a day, and all I want is to cuddle with my fiancé before we head to the hospital in the morning."

"Yeah. We can do that. But, we are taking these snacks, because I worked up quite the appetite."

Laughing, Callie nods. "Of course, you goof, come on. But… we have to eat naked," Callie says, wiggling her eyebrows.

"I will never complain about getting naked with you," Arizona giggles, making her way towards the stairs.

"I'll remind you of that when we are eighty and you don't like me anymore!" Callie yells, following behind Arizona back to the bedroom, causing Arizona to giggle.

"I'm sure even when we are eighty, that you still won't be able to keep me away," Arizona says, rolling her eyes.

Standing next to the bed, Callie sets the tray down, pulling Arizona close.

"I can't wait to grow old with you."

"Calliope, I never thought it would sound so amazing to talk about getting old. When we talk about it though, knowing I get to grow old with you, makes me the happiest woman in the world."

"Me too. I love you."

"I love you too. Now…let's get naked and have some of these snacks," Arizona says, reaching to pull her shirt over her head.

"Mmm. I could watch you do that all day," Callie says smiling.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course I'm sure," Arizona says, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Arizona, if we get caught, we will be on the front page of the paper. And you will lose clients like crazy, because you know… you deal with tiny humans and all." Callie starts holding her hands out to show just how small the tiny humans are.

Arizona looks at Callie and smiles as she starts shaking her head. "We are not going to get caught," Arizona says mischievously. "I thought you trusted me?" Arizona asks, giving Callie a small pout, as she reaches forward to pull Callie a little closer to her.

"I usually do, but this is a whole new level of trust you are asking for."

"Calliope, when we woke up this morning before the sunrise, you said you couldn't wait to adventure through life with me. You said, and I quote, "I want to do everything with you." So… here we are and we are going to do this. When we are done, we will put our grown-up hats back on. But, for now…take your clothes off."

"Arizona…"

"Calliope…," Arizona sing songs. "You know what my first impression of you was? Well, other than the fact that you were smoking hot?"

"Yeah, you weren't too hard to read on that," Callie chuckles.

"As you have told me before," Arizona says, rolling her eyes. "However, you seemed like the bold type, not afraid to take chances. So, come on! Let's make sure we have fun stories to tell our kids when we are sitting on our front porch, sipping lemonade or vodka, either one, when we are 80. They say all the best romances have the best stories to tell. Let's make this one of our stories. Please?" Arizona asks, pulling her top over her head and sliding her pants down over her hips. Then tossing her underwear and bra over to the large rock sitting beside them, she looks to Callie and arches her eyebrows, waiting for a response.

Callie watches her, still amazed that this woman will be her wife soon. A woman who has changed all her ways of thinking and brought out a side of her that she never knew existed.

"OK."

"Awesome. You want me to help you take these off?" Arizona says, reaching for Callie's shirt.

"Why don't I just let you do it all?" Callie says, giving Arizona a look that would make her panties fall off if they weren't already off.

"Mmm, Calliope… you better watch it. We might be doing more than taking a dip if you keep looking at me like that."

"Would that be a problem? I mean, if nobody is around, it isn't like anyone would see. Right?"

"Mmhm. Right," Arizona whispers, as she pulls Callie's shirt up and continues to pull the remaining clothes off her fiancé. "Calliope, I don't know that it will ever be possible to look at you and not want you," Arizona says, as she takes off the last piece of clothing, leaving Callie standing in nothing but her beauty.

"I could say the same for you, you know that? I thought after a busy day yesterday, that we would be exhausted today. But being with you, knowing that you are going to be mine forever, I couldn't wait to wake up this morning. I just couldn't hardly sleep because I was so excited. But… I never dreamed you would drag me out in a public place and take all my clothes off of me."

"Calliope, I promise you right now, life will never be boring with me. Now… are you ready?"

"It's November. This water will be freezing!"

"Yep. It will. Now… come on!" Arizona reaches for Callie's hand and pulls her closer to the water.

"Wait. Have you really done this before?" Callie asks.

"Yes. Not in a while though, and definitely not naked. We used to come here our senior year of high school. Lots and lots of parties and we never got caught. So come on, let's go."

"Ugh. Fine." Callie takes a big breath and looks at Arizona. With a quick nod from Arizona, they both jump in at the same time. Callie is the first one back above water, with Arizona following right behind her.

"Ah! This water is freezing!"

"Yeah, it is! It is exhilarating!" Arizona yells, as she dives back under, then appears a second later behind Callie, wrapping her arms around her as they both kick their legs to stay afloat.

"Arizona, you are as cold as I am! Cuddling is not going to help!" Callie begins to squirm free of Arizona, then begins to make her way back to solid ground.

"Where are you going?" Arizona asks. "We are supposed to be making memories here! And making out!" She watches as Callie wiggles away from her and begins mumbling.

"To get warm! We are both going to get sick!"

"Oh, you are being overdramatic. It's cold, but not that bad!" Arizona makes a point to splash around a little more, hoping to entice Callie back in.

"Well, we went skinny dipping and made memories, now it is time to dry off," Callie says, as she stands and reaches for her towel.

"Fine…" Arizona says, taking her time making it back to fiancé. "We could have been naked and wet but whatever you want."

"We could have been naked and wet at home. In bed, might I add," Callie says, shivering, but making sure to give Arizona a good show as she slides the towel up and down her legs.

Arizona can't stand to watch, and makes her way out of the water and towels off, reaching for the blanket she thought to grab. "Come here and sit on this rock with me. I'll warm you up and we can watch the sunrise before we go."

"Don't you want to go get dressed and warm?"

"Body heat does amazing at warming us up. Calliope. You'll see. Now, come here and watch the sunrise with me, then we will go."

"Brrrrr," Callie shivers, sitting down by Arizona and scooting closer.

"Now, this isn't bad, is it?" Arizona asks, adjusting to make sure the blanket is around both of them, and then pulls Callie a little closer.

"It would be better with clothes on."

"That's not what you usually say," Arizona husks, as she leans in and begins to kiss Callie's neck."

"Mmm, yeah… but we are usually much warmer than this." Callie leans her head towards the side to give Arizona better access to her neck.

Arizona pulls back, looking at Callie, then back over the body of water. "Oohhh, look! There it is. The sun is starting to rise."

Callie follows Arizona's line of sight, and indeed, the sun ever so slowly, is starting to rise on this new day. They both sit up a little straighter, as Callie leans a little further into Arizona. They watch for a few minutes as the sun continues to rise and brings with it a beautiful array of colors to fill the morning sky with.

"Look at that. It's beautiful. I don't remember ever seeing a sunrise as beautiful as this," Callie says, watching the colors unfold before them.

Arizona turned just a little as Callie began talking, then couldn't help but to keep her eyes trained on the wondrous site before her.

"I agree. The most beautiful sunrise I have ever witnessed." Arizona continues to watch Callie, until Callie senses she is being watched.

"What are you doing? You aren't even watching!"

"I am. I am taking in the most important details of the morning. It just happens that you are the most amazing view I have seen in my entire life," Arizona says, leaning over to place a tender kiss on Callie's cheek.

"How did I get so lucky? I can't be aggravated at you for talking me into skinny dipping when you go and say things like that." Callie watches as Arizona shrugs.

"Well, I am just being honest. You are just stunning. Especially like this. No make up and fancy clothes, just you. I am so lucky that I get to marry you. I want to give you everything Calliope."

"Arizona, I don't need anything but you and Katie. That's it. I don't care about everything else. I just need the two of you."

"That's another reason I love you. You aren't high maintenance," Arizona says, giggling, making Callie roll her eyes.

"Come here," Callie whispers, leaning in to give Arizona a kiss. Hearing a noise, Callie pulls back. "What was that?"

"I didn't hear anything but my heart thumping," Arizona says, leaning back in, just to have Callie pull away.

"Cute," Callie says, trying not to smile. "Seriously though, I heard something," Callie whispers.

"You did not. There is no one…"

About that time, they both heard the same thing. A car door shuts, causing them both to jump. Beginning to look around, Arizona starts to stand up, but Callie pulled her back down.

"What are you doing?" Callie whispers.

"I was trying to see what is going on."

"Obviously, someone is here but you can't stand up because you are naked!" Callie whisper yells, beginning to get flustered.

"I forgot, ok? I was just trying to see who it was."

"Well, not that it matters. We have nowhere to hide. It isn't like we can both fit behind that tree."

Even though the sun has risen, a light is all of a sudden pointed on them as the stranger in question comes in to view, causing Callie to stiffen up.

As the two women turn their heads away from the light, to maybe avoid having to face them, they aren't let off the hook. "Good morning ladies. Arizona."

"Shit." Arizona says, shaking her head.

"Good morning, Officer Avery." Arizona shakes her head and she turns herself slightly so she can better see the new guest.

"So, I'm not even going to ask what you two have been doing, because it is pretty obvious. I was on my way home from my overnight duty and saw you car, Arizona. I don't know when the last time you were up here, but this is private property now. My mom bought all this about six months ago. She is going to build a house, right in this very spot actually, overlooking the water. And if she would happen to find you instead of me, well, let's just say she wouldn't take to it very well, and she might call me to take you in. And we don't want that."

"Jackson, I had no idea your mom bought this!"

"Yeah, she has kept it on the down low. However, she did post these no trespassing signs," Jackson Avery says, pointing to quite a large sign about ten feet away.

"I am so….so sorry," Arizona says, shaking her head. I didn't even see them. We used to come up here all the time when we were in high school I didn't think anyone would care."

"Yeah, I know. Let's pretend like this didn't happen and be glad it was me and not her. She would have no hesitation plastering your picture in the paper. She is kind of ruthless that way and that is no place for the town kid doctor to end up."

"I would agree," Arizona says, nodding up and down.

"And…. It wouldn't look good for the new bone doc in town either. So, you two get dressed and out of here before my mom shows up. They are actually expecting the construction crew to start showing up today or tomorrow."

"Oh. I agree, one hundred percent. Thanks, Officer Avery. You have no idea how much we appreciate this."

"Well, April would shoot me if I took you in. She wouldn't want our daughter to have her doctor up on charges."

"Yeah. I would suppose not. Again, thanks for the heads up. And again, I had no idea that someone bought this."

"No worries. Just get dressed and get out of here," Jackson says, before looking at Callie. "…And nice to meet you Dr. Torres." He doesn't give Callie a chance to respond, before turning around and headed back down to his car, just out of sight.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it," Callie says, covering her face.

"Calliope…." Arizona says, reaching to pull Callie's hand off her face.

"No. Tell me that really didn't just happen."

"Um, it didn't really just happen," Arizona says, trying not to laugh.

"This is not funny, Arizona!" Callie turns to make sure Jackson Avery is no longer in sight, then stands, jerking the blanket off her future wife.

"Hey! I thought we were sharing that blanket!"

"That was before you made me a trespasser! We just got caught, naked!"

"Well, technically he didn't see anything," Arizona says, shrugging, as she stands and reaches for her clothes that are laying on the ground.

"I can't believe this. We were busted by the police!"

"No, not exactly. Just a friend who happens to be an off duty officer. I have known him since preschool. It's fine. However, his mom… Yikes. She would have been reason to worry."

The two women quickly get dressed and head to grab breakfast, where Arizona finally gets Callie to laugh a little bit about the events of the morning, then they head back to the hospital.

XXXXXXX

Relieving Addie of her babysitting duties, Callie sits by Katie's bed, playing with a strand of her hair, as Arizona watches. Getting up, she walks outside and comes back in carrying a tablet and begins to look over the latest test results.

Smiling, she sits the tablet down and makes her way over to her favorite brunettes.  
"So, I was thinking…"

"Arizona, we aren't going back. Not happening."

"Calliope," Arizona says, chuckling. "That is so not what I was going to say."

"Ok, just making sure," Callie says, smiling at the blonde.

"So, back to what I was thinking…. How would you like to take Katie home for the weekend?" Arizona asks, as she watches Callie's eyes grow big.

"What are you talking about?"

"I am asking you if you would like to take her home," Arizona says, giggling. "I mean, looking at her latest labs, things are looking so good, that I am positive that she can skip one day of treatment to go home for a little bit. It might do her a world of good."

Callie starts crying and Arizona can`t help but to pull her into her arms, knowing that it is probably overwhelming for the mom in front of her to hear words she has waited a long time to hear.

"Shh…. It's ok," Arizona says, pulling Callie closer to her.

"I just… what if something happens?"

"If it does, we will just come back sooner. Everything we need is portable, so we can take quite a bit with us. Plus, we are doctors, and I, in particular, am a fantastic kid doctor. But, I think she can handle 48 hours. We will have things in case we need them, but I think it will be good for her. For all off us. So, what do you say? Wanna break her out for a little while?"

Wiping the tears that are falling, Callie begins to smile and nod. "Let's take her home," Callie says, beginning to laugh, being filled with joy at the thought of taking her daughter home, even if it just a few days. Months ago, she thought she would never get to leave the hospital at all, now, she gets to take her little girl home.

"Awesome. I will go make the arrangements," Arizona says, ready to pull away before being stopped by Callie.

Standing up, Callie pulls Arizona in for a kiss, bringing her hand up to rest on her cheek. "We are so lucky to have you. There isn't a day that goes by that you don't do something amazing for us."

"You both deserve the world, Calliope. Now, let me get things moving so we can take our girl home."


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Standing in the doorway to akatie's room, watching her daughter sleep in her own bed, Callie is wiping the tears that are silently slipping down the sides of her face.

"Hey," Arizona says, pulling her robe tighter around her, as she makes her way to stand behind Callie, embracing her. Not saying anything, Callie leans her head back to lay against Arizona.

"It is an amazing feeling knowing we have our little girl home," Arizona whispers softly.

Nodding her head, Callie says, "Yeah, It's just indescribable, really." Turning her body to where she can see Katie and Arizona, she wraps her arm around the blonde's back.

"When I bought this house and set up her room, I had no idea if she would ever get to use it. To see her laying there now, it is just almost a little overwhelming, you know? In a good way, but still overwhelming. I had gotten to the point where I just never really thought this would happen. I mean, I hoped, but when the doctors started telling me I needed to consider all my options, I started to have doubts."

"I can't imagine how hard the must have been, to hear that. But look at her. I know she has a long road ahead of her still, but Calliope… look at her. She is laying there, oxygen free, breathing on her own. She is making sounds and moving her arms and hands, moving her feet. She is making so much progress. She is such a strong little girl and she has a such a strong mommy for a role model to look up to."

"Well, she has two strong mommies now," Callie says, leaning over to give Arizona a kiss on the cheek. "I can't imagine her not having you in her life, Arizona."

"I can't imagine not being here, Calliope. You two are my world." Sqeequing Callie's hand, Arizona pulls her into Katie's room, where they have an air mattress set up on the floor. Neither feeling comfortable enough to sleep in their room, Callie pulled out the mattress and Arizona set it up.

Getting Katie home wasn't as easy as either of them expected, but they pulled it off. Arizona ended up calling in a few favors from some nurses and the hospital transportation staff to help get everything situated. Several hours and several trips in and out of the house later, and they were all set.

Settling down onto the air mattress, Callie pulls Arizona closer to her. "So, when are you finally going to move your stuff in? Now that we know we are officially staying here and not moving across the country because of George, we can officially move in together."

"Well, I am going to call a realtor on Monday and talk to them. I have heard that sometimes they prefer you leave the house furnished so that people can visualize the space better. So, I will see what they say. If that's what they prefer, I'll just make sure I have all my clothes and necessitates for now. Besides, it isn't like we really need anything else. I have gradually bring bringing stuff like that over anyway, so we just need to make sure I have more than a drawer and maybe a little more closet space."

"Arizona, we can make room for anything you want to bring. I willl clear out my closet tomorrow and make sure you have plenty of room. As far as the rest of the furniture, just because my stuff is here, doesn't mean I can't get rid of some of my things. It doesn't all have to be your stuff that goes."

"I don't mind a totally fresh start, Calliope. I can actually just make the furniture part of a package price with the house. It's not a big deal, really."

"But," Callie starts to say, as Arizona covers her lips with a finger, then silences her with a kiss.

"Really, it's what I prefer. It's like I am getting an upgrade on all my stuff. I mean, I was fresh out of med school and on really tight budget when I bout most of it," Arizona says giggling. "So, it's like I'm trading up. And, I'm totally ok with it," Arizona says, pulling Callie in for a kiss."

XXXXXXX

The next morning, the girls are woken up by a soft noise coming from behind them. Callie rolls over to look at Katie, and sees soft brown eyes looking down at them, as she is moving her hand just enough for it to softly hit the blanket, causing just the slightest noise to wake them up.

Smiling at her little girl, Callie scoots away from Arizona, trying to not wake her, fut failing. An air mattress is hard to move on, and Arizona sits up, looking to see Callie sitting on the bed beside Katie.

"Hey," Callie says, leaning down to give Katie a kiss on the top of her head. "How is mommy's girl?"

The two women have noticed an increase in Katie's movements and interaction with them over the past week, much to their delight.

"She woke us up, mommy," Callie says, quietly smiling, as she watches Arizona absorb her words.

"How is that?" Arizona asks, as she moves to sit on the bed next to her girls.

"She was moving her hand and hitting the comforter. She was wanting our attention," Callie says, reaching to grab the little girl's hand.

"Is that right? Well, you have two mommies that will let you wake us up anytime," Arizona says, wiggling her nose at the little brunette.

Callie laughs and shakes her head. "You say that now, but just wait. Soon enough, you will ask why she can't sleep a little bit longer. Before she got sick, she was up early every morning, and let me tell you, I'm not a morning person and I struggle with those early mornings."

"Well, now you have me. And I don't mind them. So, I will get up with her and you can sleep in," Arizona says. Then after thinking for a second, she drops her voice to a whisper and says, "Since I plan on keeping you up really, really late, you will need all the sleep you can get, Calliope."

Blushing, then, shaking her head, Callie gets up and heads to the door. "Ok…. Before I get all hot and worked up thinking about that, I'm going to go fix us some breakfast. She is all yours for a little bit," Callie says, blowing them both a kiss and making her way out the door.

Arizona chuckles, as she turns her attention back to Katie, watching as Katie tries to grab ahold of her hand. Arizona holds it up and wiggles her fingers. "You are getting to be so strong. Look at you go," Arizona says, as Katie finally manages to get a hold of Arizona's hand. Arizona is for sure that bringing Katie home for a little bit is just what the doctor ordered.

XXXXXXX

"Oh my gosh. I am exhausted," Callie says, finally sitting down on the couch after putting Katie to bed. Sitting the monitor on the end table, she scoots closer to Arizona.

"I know. You wouldn't think spending the day at home could wear you out, but I think we tried to cram so much in, it just wore us all out," Arizona says, as she pulls Callie a little tighter to her.

After having breakfast, the two women got Katie dressed and managed to get her downstairs for another change of scenery. They drug out different toys to try to encourage Katie to reach for them. Arizona has been ordering quite a bit, in anticipation of this very occasion. She just hadn't wanted to let Callie know she had it on her mind, in case something happened and set Katie back. The last thing she wanted was a disappointed Callie on her hands. After playing all day, they settled in for a movie where Katie finally fell asleep.

"You know, I think since she is fast asleep, you and I should make our way upstairs and take advantage of a little alone time. We could run a hot bath, maybe throw in some bubbles, and just soak in there together. What do you think?" Callie asks, looking at Arizona hopefully.

"I think that sounds amazing. Why don't you go start the water and while you are doing that, I will grab us some juice. I don't want us drinking tonight, just in case she needs us," Arizona says.

"Sounds like a plan," Callie says, leaning over to give Arizona a kiss before standing up.

A few minutes later, Arizona walks into the bathroom to see Callie pulling her shirt up over her head.

"I see you are getting started without me," Arizona says, quickly sitting the juice down and moving to help Callie with her shirt.

"Well, I was hoping to already be naked when you got here, so I could help you get yours off quickly. I mean, there's no point in wasting any time," Callie says, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, I like the way you think, Calliope."

As soon as Callie reaches for the bottom of Arizona's shirt, Arizona's phone beeps, signaling a new message. Arizona looks at the phone, but thinks better of getting it, and helps Callie pull her own shirt over her head.

"Aren't you going to get that?"

"No. Why would I, when you are naked in front of me?"

"It might be important," Callie says, leaning to kiss down Arizona's jaw line.

"Nothing is more important than this. And we know Katie is ok, so it can wait," Arizona says, as she pulls Callie closer to her, and unbuttoning the brunette's pants, then pushing them down the long, dark legs.

Taking a step back, Callie tries to catch her breath. "Just make sure sure it isn't important. We know that Katie's is fine, but just in case someone else isn't, I feel like you need to get that."

Taking in her words, Arizona nods and reaches for her phone that is on the counter. "Hm. It's Dr. Tanner…," Arizona says, opening the text, then skimming through the message.

"What is it?" Callie asks, as she watches Arizona.

"Um, they were just contacted by a researcher in Germany. They ran across Katie's case where they had been posting trying to get answers a while back. There is a treatment that they have been working on and it has shown positive results. They want us to come back to Mayo with Katie. This researcher even offered to come to Mayo and oversee the treatment herself. They sent us a link to research it more, and Dr. Tanner said to let her know what we decide."

"Wow. That's a lot to take in," Callie says, blowing out a breath of air.

Reaching down for their shirts, Arizona puts hers back on and hands Callie's hers as well. "Sorry, I just feel like we should be able to focus on this conversation. And… I can't do that when we are naked," Arizona says, smiling.

Nodding, Callie takes her shirt and pulls it back over her head. "I agree. So, what do you think?"

"I don't know. Let me text Dr. Tanner back, and then we can discuss it."

After the text is sent and the water is drained from the tub, the two make their way in to settle back against the headboard, and Callie reaches for her laptop that is sitting beside the bed, knowing they will want to go ahead and check out the research.

The two women spend some time looking up the researcher named Dr. Conrad. They discover she is actually a well known German researcher with incredible findings in her previous research and trials, and find out that the one they are wanting Katie for, has already had promising results.

"So, what's your opinion now?" Callie asks, moving the laptop to the night stand beside the bed, then turning to look at the blonde beside her, who is deep in thought.

"Well, I think the medicine itself has some promise. But I don't think I like the list of side effects that are possible. I mean, you are looking at a very low trial sample so far, and I'm not sure I feel comfortable putting Katie through something that doesn't have a set of known side effects. I mean, right now, they haven't had a lot, but that doesn't mean anything. I don't know that I want Katie to be a guinea pig."

"I get that. I don't either. But, if this has a chance of really helping her at a faster rate, then I think we should consider it," Callie says, watching Arizona's reaction. "I mean, yeah, what we are doing has been working well up to this point, but if the trial can help speed it up and get her back to normal, I think would consider it."

"I want her to make a quick recovery too. But trials like this don't always help. Sometimes they cause more problems," Arizona counters.

"Yeah, but we just read that, so far, they haven't really had any problems," Callie argues.

"I get that. I do. We just have to consider the patients that they have used, haven't been as severe as Katie has been. They might react differently. I just don't want to take any chances, Calliope. She has made such a remarkable recovery so far with what we have been doing, I hate to change what we know is working."

"You don't want to take chances, or you don't want someone else helping her to recover quicker?" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Callie feels bad and she doesn't even really know where that thought came from. She sees the look of hurt cross Arizona's face, but it is too late to take them back.

Arizona shakes her head, then moves to stand up and makes her way off the bed. "This isn't about me wanting to be the hero, Calliope. This is me, making sure we make the best possible decision based on the very limited information we have. If I was sure there would be no side effects, I would sign on in a minute. But, we don't know that," Arizona says, as she makes her way over to grab a robe, and heads to the door.

"I'm sorry. I…," Callie starts to say something, but is then cut off by Arizona.

"Save it, Calliope. I'm going to go check on Katie, then I'm going to go downstairs and do a little more research. I would suggest you do the same.

Callie starts to move to get off the bed as well, when Arizona holds up a hand. "You need to do yours here."

Callie wants to convince Arizona to stay as she also makes her way off the bed. "Just stay, please. We can research together and discuss things together."

"No, I need to go downstairs before I say something that will make this worse right now."

"I'm sorry, Arizona. I know you will always do what you think is right for Katie. I'm sorry."

"Calliope, to even imply that I wouldn't do what was best for Katie because I don't want someone else getting the credit for helping her…. I don't even know why you would think that," Arizona says, shaking her head. "What I do know, is that you need to think about it and I need a few minutes. Alone." With that, Arizona makes her way down the hall to Katie's room. Once she is satisfied that everything is ok, she makes her way down to the living room, grabs her laptop out of her duffle bag by the door, then makes her way to the couch.

Taking a minute to gather her thoughts, she can't believe Callie would think that. That the thought would even cross her mind. Opening her laptop, she spends about an hour doing some more research when Callie comes in. When Arizona looks up, she can tell that Callie has been crying. She closes the laptop down, then puts it on the coffee table.

Callie watches as Arizona sits back on the couch, avoiding eye contact.

"I was way out of line to say that, Arizona. I… I don't even know why I said it. I know you would never keep her from something that would help her."

"I'm not sure either," Arizona deadpans.

"I am so sorry I said that. I know that you don't care who does it, as long as it happens. But, after researching a little more, there just aren't enough side effects that make it seem like a bad idea."

"Because they have only had fifteen patients, Calliope. Fifteen. We aren't talking about a trial that involves hundreds and there haven't been any side effects. Fifteen. That's it. That's nothing with as wide ranging in severity this disease can be. Katie is not your normal case."

"I hear you. But, fifteen is still fifteen with no known major side effects. I think it is worth a shot. If there were anything major, I have to believe at least one person so far would have experienced it."

"I don't, Callie. And I don't agree with that thought process. Not right now. There need to be more before we consider it."

The two women seem to be at an impasse and they both realize it. Shaking her head, Arizona stands up and walks closer to Callie. Sighing, Arizona closes her eyes and opens them back up, to see determined brown eyes looking back at her.

"As her doctor, I don't recommend doing this," Arizona states, causing a flick of something to flash across Callie's eyes. "And as her mom, my opinion doesn't change. I still don't think it is what she needs right now. I think it is a dangerous risk."

"I hear you. But, as her mother, it is my decision, and I want to do it," Callie says, causing nothing but silence to descend upon the room.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The only sounds filling the Torres living room, are the soft breathing sounds coming from the monitor in Callie's hand. The soft sounds become a sharp knife, slicing through the otherwise deafening silence that has settled between the two women. Both unaware of the thoughts going through the others' mind. Callie turns away from Arizona and looks towards the ceiling, as a tear threatens to fall down her face. Arizona turns and sits back down on the couch and places her head in her hands.

Callie silently looks back to Arizona and begins making her way over and sits down on the coffee table, right in front of Arizona, waiting on Arizona to look up, but she doesn't.

"Arizona… will you please look at me?"

When Arizona doesn't look up, Callie takes a deep breath and begins to talk. "I hope you know I didn't mean it the way it came out. With my track record tonight, I know you probably doubt that, but I didn't mean that you aren't her mom."

"You know, I think you did though," Arizona says, pulling her hands away from her face in time for tears to start streaming down. "Just when I start to feel like her mom, you go and make me feel like… like… nothing."

"Arizona, no. I apologized for earlier. And if you would hear me out, I can explain what I just said. And I know how it sounded, but I wasn't diminishing your role."

Arizona doesn't say anything, but lets out a disbelieving chuckle.

"I know you are her mom too. I wasn't trying to make you feel like you aren't her mom."

"But you are! You can't want me to adopt her one second and then not even care what I think the next. You said that as her mom, it is your decision. You made it clear with one sentence where I stand."

"That's not what I said. I mean, it is what I said, but not what I meant," Callie says, as Arizona fights back tears. "What I meant is that I have fought with doctors for years. Arizona, they would have had me pulling her off of life support months ago if I hadn't fought for her. I have had to fight tooth and nail to get her where she is now. I have fought and argued and had my opinion disregarded so much, that I seem to always have to go on the defensive when I'm fighting for her. When you said, that as her doctor, you didn't recommend it, I kind of blocked out the rest of what you said. I guess for just a second, you were the doctor, and not the other mom, and I felt like I was fighting with the other doctors all over again. I felt like I wasn't being heard. And I just, went back to my old way of dealing with things. I said as her mother, it was my decision. I get how that sounds, but that was me thinking of you as her doctor, not her mom. I guess I didn't register the rest of what you said until I saw the look on your face, and then it hit me."

"Callie, I want to believe that. I think you want to believe that," Arizona says, looking up into Callie's eyes, as she takes a deep breath. "You know, I thought it would be ok if I continued on as her doctor. I thought I could keep that role separate. But now. I believe it is in everyone's best interest if I let someone else take over as her primary doctor. If me being her doctor overrides everything else, i need to step back. I don't want that to be your first thought when you think of me. So Monday, we need to turn her case over, officially, to someone else, because I can't be 'just her doctor' anymore."

"Arizona, that isn't what I want. And that's not all you are.., You can't just..."

"I'm sorry, but I can," Arizona says, holding her hand up, and stopping Callie. "I think at this point, for both of our sakes, and hers, this is what needs to be done. We both knew I couldn't be her doctor forever. We knew we were treading a very thin line. My roles can't run together. I can't be with you and butt heads with you as her doctor. Our relationship is so important to me. I want to be your equal, not less and certainly not more. But, I am not the enemy here. All I have ever done, since before I even met Katie, was try to make the best decisions possible for her. I have advocated for her and have given you no reason to believe I would do anything that isn't in her best interest. But even at that, it seems you have completely lumped me in with all the other doctors and you felt you needed to go on the defense with me. So we aren't doing this. We aren't putting ourselves in that position again. I'm removing that option. I will give my professional opinion if asked, but someone else needs to take the lead."

"Ok."

"And for the rest of what you said… it doesn't really matter if you blocked out the rest of what I said. You didn't stop to consider me in the first place. The thing is, we should be making all the decisions together, and that isn't happening."

When Callie doesn't say anything, Arizona continues. "Maybe we need to put the adoption on hold for now. I will just go back to being Arizona to her. To be honest, I am not sure that you are ready for more than that yet. I think you thought you were, but maybe tonight has shown otherwise," Arizona says, sadly.

"No Arizona. That's not what I want." Callie says, standing up and beginning to wave her arms. "You can't just go around and make decisions that affect all of us. You are deciding someone else will be her doctor and now that we should wait on the adoption. What makes you think you just get to arbitrarily decide everything?"

"That's rich, coming from you right now," Arizona says, as she also stands up, but keeps a little distance between herself and Callie. "It didn't matter before, but now you want us talking things over."

Callie stops to think about what she just said, and shakes her head. "This isn't how I wanted our weekend to go. I mean, we are supposed to be upstairs in the tub and now I feel like everything is a mess and I don't know what to do to fix it."

"Look, Calliope… I love you. With everyone I have, I love you. Part of what I love about you is that you are always saying exactly what is on your mind. I never really have to wonder what you are thinking. You speak before thinking, and usually, I find it amusing because you make it hard for yourself to keep anything private. But usually, it's not me at the receiving end of it. And as much as you think you didn't mean to cut me out of the equation, I think it shows that you aren't ready to co-parent. Not fully, and not yet. And I get it. It's just been you for a long time and you didn't have to consult anyone. And that's ok. She is your daughter, and I am just fortunate enough to get to be a part of her life. So adoption right now is the last thing we need to be thinking about. I don't think you are as ready for it as what you thought, and, I..."

"I am, Arizona. Don't say that. I love you more than anything, and I want you to be her mom. That's what I want, I promise you."

"I think your heart wants it, but your mind hasn't caught up to it," Arizona says, with a sad smile. "Look, the thing is, people get married all the time, and just because they are married, doesn't mean the other person is automatically mom or dad. Maybe we got caught up in a little bubble and we weren't being practical. Maybe, if we are honest, we rushed. I mean, we have known each other, what, six months?"

"Arizona, how long we have known each other doesn't matter. I love you. I know we don't see eye to eye on this right now, but that doesn't mean I don't want you to be her mom."

"You want me to be her mom in theory, but just not have a say in the matter. I can't do that Calliope. I can't. If I am going to be her mom, I should get an equal say. And the fact is, you can't do that right now. And that's ok. It really is. I can't be her mom and know that my opinion doesn't matter as much as yours. I just think you aren't as ready for that as much as you thought. So, I am choosing to take a step back. For me. I love that little girl up there and I only want what's best for her. I also love her mom though, and I want to keep loving her. I don't want to resent you later and the only way that's going to happen, is if I take a step back and give you room to be her mom. She doesn't need us arguing, she just needs us to be here."

"I don't need room, Arizona. We have been doing fine with this. We haven't had any issues, and the first time we have a difference of opinion, you want to walk away from her," Callie says, pacing the floor. "It's kind of feeling like you aren't going to get your way and you are just throwing in the towel and walking away."

"I am not walking away. I am right here, where I will always be. I'm not going anywhere. But, Calliope, tell me… what message am I sending back to Dr. Tanner? Am I telling her we don't agree on the right course of action here and we need more time, or am I telling her that you want Katie in the trial?" Arizona watches Callie as her eyes start to water.

"Arizona, I…," Callie stops, trying to figure out the right words to use, that won't infuriate the blonde. "I love you. More than you will ever know. And I love that you love Katie like you do. And I hear what you are saying, and I understand your point of view. The thing is, as much as I understand you, I also want her in the trial just as much. If I have a chance to move her progress along a little more quickly, I feel like I need to do it. I feel like I have to do it. I have lost so much time with her, and she still has so far to go. If we do this and it works, she can be just that much closer to having a normal life. Being home this weekend has given me a little taste of what our life can be like, and I want it so much. I want this for us. For her."

"You have to understand there are complications from this treatment that aren't known yet Calliope. Do you really want to be the one to discover those? That thought scares me no to end."

"You don't think it scares me too?" Callie asks, raising her voice just a little. "I'm scared too Arizona. I am. But my hope outweighs my fear. I can't afford to be too afraid to try things. I need to be brave for her. I need you to be brave with me, Arizona. It isn't easy not just giving in to you. Not only am I doing something that has possible complications, but I'm doing something that my fiancé, who I love more than anything, doesn't agree with. I'm afraid of what you are going to do. I mean, you have already decided to not be her doctor as well as her mom. I mean, what else are you going to give up. You going to walk away from me too?"

"I told you why I was doing both of those things. I am trying to do what is best for us. And if me taking a step back from that is what I need to do, then that's what I'll do. I'm sorry you can't understand that right now."

"You are right. I don't understand. I thought I did, but I don't. It feels like you are just walking away. George started pulling away a little at a time too," Callie says, defeatedly, and sitting on the couch.

"That's not fair. You are comparing me to George and that's just…"

"I'm not comparing you to George. I'm just stating facts! He started drifting away from us a little at a time. That's just exactly what you are doing now."

"I am nothing like George. Nothing." Shaking her head, Arizona really looks at Callie. "Is that really what you think? I have made you and Katie the center of my life. Do you really think I am like George?" Arizona asks, defeatedly.

"No. I know you aren't. But, I do feel like you are pulling away from me. And I would be lying if I said that didn't scare me a little bit."

"I'm not pulling away, not like that anyway. I am doing what I think is best for both of us. I'm not walking away. I'm staying right here."

As soon as Arizona says that, Arizona's phone beeps.

Looking down at her phone, Arizona closes her eyes and looks back to Callie. "It's Dr. Tanner. She wants to know what our decision is."

Arizona locks eyes with Callie gives her a sad smile. "You need to answer her."

"Arizona… Promise me I won't lose you if I say yes."

"I already told you I'm not going anywhere. You are her mom. It's your decision."

Taking a second to think, Callie nods. "I love you, Arizona. But...yes. I want to do the trial."

Arizona exhales slowly through her mouth then closes her eyes. Opening them and looking back to Callie to make sure she sees no doubt, she types her text and hits send. Looking back to Callie, she says, "There. Dr. Tanner knows. I made sure she has your number and told her she needs to text you from now on. I also let her know that someone else would be taking over as her primary doctor."

Nodding, Callie closes her eyes and leans her head back on the couch. Arizona watches her then moves to sit on the other side of the couch. Both women are quiet and replaying the whole conversation in their mind, neither knowing what to do or say now.

"I'm going to head to bed. I'm exhausted all of a sudden," Callie says, standing up and looking towards Arizona. "Are you coming?"

"Um, I... I might just stay here tonight."

"On the couch?"

"Yeah. It might be better to give us both some space."

"No. You aren't staying here," Callie says, shaking her head.

"You want me to leave?"

"No, you aren't staying here on the couch. You are coming upstairs, with me. Your first instinct when we are fighting is to stay away from me, but I'm not letting you do that anymore. You want to be mad or upset? Fine. But you don't get to stay away. You come to bed and you can face the other way and not let your feet touch mine. Whatever. But you don't get to stay away."

Somewhat taken aback by Callie's rant, Arizona watches as the brown eyes looking at her become determined. Callie then turns to walk back upstairs, with a quick turn of the head to make sure Arizona did indeed decide to follow her up.

As the two women quietly make their way to Katie's room, Callie lays down first as Arizona watches. Once she is settled, Arizona quietly lays down as well. Choosing to lay down on her back, Arizona closes her eyes.

"I know we just discussed a lot, and I know we have different opinions, and it honestly feels like we just went in circles. But, at the end of the day, I do love you Calliope."

"I love you too. We aren't done discussing the adoption, Arizona, but, we will save that conversation for later." Arizona doesn't respond, but just as Callie is about to roll over, she feels a foot slowly slide over to touch hers, keeping her in place.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

"Alright ladies, let's go over this one more time," Dr. Conrad says, stepping away from the table and walking towards the white board in the conference room. Turning to face a team of doctors, including Dr. Tanner and Dr. Shepherd, with Callie and Arizona seated at the front of the table, she begins her review.

"We will use the port to start the infusion. We will start with an initial bolus of five milligrams, then, lower the dose to one milligram per hour over the next twenty four hours. We will take twenty four hours off, then complete another twenty four hours on, with an initial bolus of five milligrams, with two milligrams per hour after. We will see how she responds, and if there are no complications, we repeat the process for the next ten days, increasing the dose by one milligram each time. Any questions?"

"How confident are you that any side effects will be minimal?" Arizona asks, watching for any facial clues that Dr. Conrad might give something away.

"Dr. Robbins, as I have told you, many many times, the side effects we have recorded so far have been at the most, mild in nature. We have only had two cases with something we would consider moderate, but they were quickly resolved by lowering the dosage, which is already quite small, and administering antihistamines."

"So, no breathing problems whatsoever in your patients so far?"

"No. Like I said, we have had two moderate reactions, both involved some inflammation, but we were effective in managing the symptoms."

Arizona listened as she sat chewing on the inside of her lip, something that Callie has observed her doing quite a bit over the last week, in preparation of starting the trial today.

Dr. Conrad waited for Arizona to ask another question, and when she didn't, she looked at Callie. "Do you have any other questions before we begin?"

"No. I think I'm just ready to get this started," Callie says, as she begins to run her hands back and forth over her legs, smoothing the non-existent wrinkles.

"Alright. Well, if we are set, let's get this started," Dr. Conrad says, as she picks up her tablet and extends her hands for Callie and Arizona to go before her.

Out in the hall, Callie reaches for Arizona's hand, as they make their way towards Katie's room. The two women have managed to make it through the past week without having a lot of time to sit and talk. The morning after Dr. Conrad was informed they would be putting Katie in the trial, they were instructed to head straight to Mayo, and not even go back to Carson Hospital, where Katie would undergo baseline testing before she would begin the trial.

Here they are, ten days later, and the trial is about to officially get underway. Callie and Arizona both made the initial trip to Mayo, then Arizona had to go back home for a few days and rearrange both of their schedules to allow them to both be here for the week of the trial. Since she came back to Mayo, things have been so hectic with testing and paperwork, the two women haven't had a chance to properly talk.

As Arizona watches Dr. Conrad walk over to Katie to begin the treatment, she flashes back to five days ago, while she was home to get things rescheduled for both her and Callie.

XXXXXXX

Last week…

"Arizona… what are you over there mumbling about?" Barbara asks, as Arizona is throwing some clothes into a suitcase that is sitting on her bed."

"Nothing," Arizona mumbles, zipping up the suitcase and moving it over by the door.

"Don't "nothing" me, Arizona. Out with it. I might be old but I'm not forgetful, and I remember how you act when you are stressed out about something."

"It's just... this trial mom. I have a bad feeling about it. I don't want her to do it, but Callie was all for it. We couldn't come to an agreement so Callie decided that she was going to do it, whether I liked it or not."

"Ok…, so what is it that upsets you? The fact that you don't like that she is putting her in the trial or the fact that she decided on her own?"

"Mom, we are supposed to be parenting together. She asked me to adopt Katie for crying out loud. And then… she just throws my opinion out the door, like I'm nothing. But I guess she is her mother and the decision is hers."

"Arizona, you are in a very stressful situation. When you were little, your father and I didn't always agree on everything. Lord knows how stubborn that man was. We had different opinions on who your pediatrician should be and what friends we should or shouldn't let you hang out with. I know this is new and uncharted waters for the two of you, to parent that little girl together, but you need to understand that Callie has been there from the beginning. Just because she doesn't see eye to eye on this with you, doesn't mean she doesn't care what you think, or that you are nothing. You need to give that woman a little credit."

"But she just decided that since we didn't agree, her opinion matters more than mine."

"Arizona, I doubt that is actually how things played out in her mind."

"I don't know, mom. She was pretty adamant that she was doing this. I don't think she even considered not doing it."

Watching her daughter pace back and forth, Barbara's brow creased. "How exactly did you react to her, Arizona?"

"Mom…"

"Arizona… what did you do?"

"Um.. I may have told her that we need to put the adoption on hold," Arizona says. Barb goes to say something, but is stopped by Arizona. "Wait…" Arizona says, holding her hand up. "I didn't tell her I didn't want to, just that we needed to wait, because I don't think she is ready for me to be another parent to Katie."

"Why? Because she didn't give in to what you wanted? Sounds like you had your feelings hurt and you are lashing out."

"What? I am not! It wasn't about me not getting my way. I just don't think she is ready to share the decision making process with someone. She is used to making the decisions and it doesn't appear that she is ready to let someone in and share that. To be honest, if she isn't ready now for us to do it together, I don't want to resent her later for not letting me. So… I told her we should wait."

Shaking her head, Barbara shook her head at her daughter. "Arizona, sounds like you didn't get what you wanted and you are throwing the equivalent of a tantrum. Simple as that. Parenting is hard. All the time. There is never anything easy, especially when you have to consider someone else's feelings and thoughts. I agree, she isn't used to having to co-parent, but you aren't either. However, you can't just throw your hands up and walk away because she made a decision you didn't agree with. From what you have told me, there is no middle ground on this trial. Someone had to give and it doesn't sound like it was going to be you. I know you and when you love, you love with everything you have. You don't like to take chances and you always go with the sure thing. You have always been black and white and no shades of gray. You need to change your tune if you are going to be a mom to that little girl though. Parenting kind of lives in the gray area, Arizona. How did Callie react when you said you were putting the adoption on hold?"

"She, um… she told me we weren't done talking about it. But she felt like I was walking away."

"Sounds to me like she is the one who should be having second thoughts about you and whether she wants to let you adopt Katie."

"What are you talking about? I have done everything I can to be there for them."

"Until things didn't go your way. Then you started taking a step back, not just from Callie, but Katie too."

"I'm not taking a step back, I'm just saying we should put things on hold. I didn't say I never want to adopt her. I just said we should wait a little while."

"She is going to resent you if you don't step up and be there. You are presenting yourself as someone who will run when things get hard. That's not the way to build trust. Why are you so against the trial?"

"Because, I told you… there haven't been many participants. It's still new. Even though they have had some success, it's still a low number of participants to really know how successful it will be. There are too many unknowns… too many possible worst-case scenarios. It's just too risky."

"But, it might work."

"We don't know that."

"You don't know it won't," Barbara states, watching as her daughter becomes more agitated.

"But we don't know it will, mom! I don't want to take that risk! Not with her. I can't handle something happening to her."

Softening her tone, Barbara says, "I know you're scared, but… Arizona… sometimes being a parent means you have to make difficult and downright scary decisions." Pausing to watch her daughter, a thought seems to occur to her. "Putting the adoption on hold isn't about Callie not being ready to co-parent. I think it's because you aren't. I think you realize if you agreed with her or tried to meet her halfway, some of this decision rests on your shoulders. If something goes wrong, it is easy to tell Callie it was her decision and that it's on her. But, if you would have tried to meet her halfway to make this decision with her, then you would bear some of the responsibility for that decision. Being a parent means sometimes you have to make uncomfortable decisions, and you do it together. Not separately. And you definitely don't run."

Stunned, Arizona sits down on the bed and covers her face with her hands, as she takes in everything her mom just said. "I… didn't realize that was what I was doing. I didn't want it to be my call, my decision, that caused something to happen to her. I was an ass, wasn't I?"

"Arizona... I know this is new for you. You are adjusting to life as a mother, and it isn't easy. It never will be. That's just the nature of being a parent. I have watched you step up and be a mom to Katie like I never thought I would see. Right now, you are just experiencing growing pains that come with parenthood. It is hard, all the time. You can do this Arizona. I believe you were meant to find those two. You just need to quit being so afraid. Right now, what you don't want, is to make Callie feel like it is her fault that you aren't ready to adopt. You have to talk to her and tell her that this is about you, not her. And she will understand. If you think you are scared about this trial, then she is twice as scared, because she thinks she is doing this alone, without your support. That makes it even scarier. Now, finish packing then go do some explaining."

XXXXXXX

After Dr. Conrad finishes giving Katie her initial bolus, she makes sure the drop is set, and after letting them know she will be monitoring everything out at the nurse's station, she leaves the two women alone.

Arizona watches as Callie makes her way over to Katie, and holds her hand. Callie gently leans over and kisses Katie's forehead as Katie's eyes begin to get heavy with sleep. It has been a busy day with a lot of tests that started early this morning and Katie is more than ready for her afternoon nap.

Callie makes her way over and sits back down by Arizona. She doesn't make eye contact but simply leans her head back against her own chair and closes her eye. Arizona watches as a lone tear begins to make it's down Callie's cheek to the corner of her lips, then continues to fall down her neck, before it is absorbed into the top of the fleece top Callie is wearing.

"I'm right here with you, every step of the way," Arizona says, watching as Callie lets out a silent sob. "You were right," Arizona says, reaching over to grab her hand. "We have to have hope that this will work. I'm sorry I couldn't see that before."

When Callie hears this, she begins to cry. Almost ten days worth of anxiety seem to dissipate as Arizona stands and sits down on Callie's lap, pulling her close.

"I'm right here. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. I'm sorry I have been an ass." Callie shakes her head, trying to object to Arizona, but Arizona lifts Callie's chin so that they are making eye contact.

"I was, Calliope. I… got scared. I know we were in an impossible situation, but I didn't exactly handle it the right way. I was so scared. I… thought you weren't ready to listen to me, but… I think I wasn't ready to listen to you. I mean, I have a lot of reservations about this, and…"

As she says that, Callie scoffs. "You made that perfectly clear."

"Calliope… I'm trying here. Please let me explain." Arizona says, starting to worry that Callie won't listen. When she gets a slight nod, she continues. "I do have reservations. I won't lie about that. We already know that we have a difference of opinion. But… I was scared. I was so scared that I didn't really want to hear what you had to say. I was convinced my way was the only way, and, and…," Arizona stops, not sure she wants to admit the rest to Callie.

"And what, Arizona?" Callie asks, quietly.

"I was afraid that if I listened to you… if I even tried to meet you halfway, that whatever happened would be my fault. That it would be on me," Arizona says, standing up."

"You were afraid this wouldn't work. And then, I would what? Do you actually think I would blame you if something goes wrong with this trial?"

"No, but I would blame myself. It would be my fault. If I agreed, it would be on me if this doesn't work. My fault, Callie, and I..."

"No, Arizona. That's not how this works," Callie says, shaking her head.

"Maybe… But, that's how I was feeling. I just didn't realize it at the time. And with putting the adoption on hold, I wanted to blame you for not being ready for me to adopt, but maybe it's really me. I'm not used to someone depending on me. If I make a wrong decision, it is on me. I am to blame for something happening to her."

"No, you aren't Arizona. If we are in this together, it is on both of us," Callie says, standing to go pull Arizona's hands into hers. "Look, we are going to make mistakes and make the wrong call. That's life though, Arizona. We will make the wrong calls, all the time. It doesn't make us less of a mom if we make the wrong decision. Sometimes things work out perfectly, but usually, life doesn't go the way we want it to. Ever. And yes, it is scary as hell to have a little human that depends on you. I constantly wonder if I am making the right decision. It scares the hell out of me that something could happen, but as scary as it is to take a chance, sometimes it is even scarier not to. Everything about parenting is scary. But that's why we need each other. And looking back, I didn't handle things the best either. I should have made you feel like you were as much a part of this decision as me, even if that meant waiting a little longer until we both agreed. I could have waited a little longer."

Arizona wipes at the tears that are falling from her eyes. "No, this is on me. I have let you both down. I did the exact opposite of what you both needed me to do. I ran. And then blamed you for it. You both deserve so much better than that."

"Arizona, I have to be honest, you scared me. I have been so afraid that you would decide this is too much. When you said you wanted to put the adoption on hold, I felt like that was the start of you pulling away, even though you said it wasn't. I have went through ten days of feeling like I was alone."

"I'm right here."

"Physically. Emotionally, you have kind of been absent. What happens the next time you don't agree with me? I can't have you running, even if only emotionally, every time we have important decisions to make or we disagree."

"I know. I promise you, right now, that I am done running. I looked at you earlier and I knew when I saw the tears falling from your eyes, that I don't want to ever be the reason those fall again. I handled this all wrong and I promise you, the next time we don't agree, we will make sure we talk things through and make sure we are on the same page, even if that means we disagree but still support each other. And... I don't want to wait on the adoption. I want to adopt Katie, more than anything. I promise you, I'm ready and I want this. If... if you still want that," Arizona says, quietly, hoping this hasn't made Callie change her mind.

Nodding, Callie pulls Arizona in for a hug. "I want that too. I love you, so much Arizona."

"I love you too," Arizona says, pulling back and leaning in for a kiss. Pulling back, Arizona turns to where she can see Katie. "I never thought I could love someone so small, so much."

"I know. The first time I held her, it was like nothing I ever imagined. I knew I would love her, but had no idea just how much."

They both stand and watch Katie for a while, when Arizona starts to not feel so well, then realizes that with everything going on, they skipped lunch. "You know, I know neither of us has have a big appetite, but we need to eat something because we have a long week ahead of us. Why don't you get comfy and I will go grab us something."

Nodding, Callie agrees, then heads to sit down as Arizona walks towards the door. Stopping at the door, she is quickly heading back over to give the still sleeping Katie a kiss on the forehead. Turning to look at Callie, she gives her a smile, then continues making her way down to the cafeteria.

Once in the cafeteria, she feels lighter than she has all week. She walks with their tray of food toward the cashier and sits the tray down so that she can pay. As she pulls the money out of her pocket and holds it out for the cashier to take, she is startled as her phone rings. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she answers the call when she sees it is Callie.

"Hey. What's...?" Arizona listens as she is cut off and tries to make out what Callie is saying over the noise. "Damn it…" Arizona says, leaving the tray as she takes off running back the way she just came from.

AN: The next chapter is written and will be posted soon.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Heartbeats are usually only heard with the help of medical devices, but right now, Arizona can hear hers beating wildly in her ears, as she runs down the hall to Katie's room, where medical personnel are filing in and out. Equipment is being pushed and orders are being barked, while monitors are beeping loudly over the expanse of the small room.

As soon as Arizona nears the room, Callie is being escorted out by Amelia Shepherd, crying. Rushing to her, Arizona pulls Callie into her arms, trying to calm the hysterical woman down.

Arizona looks to Amelia and asks, "What happened? What's going on?"

"I need to get back in there so we can figure that out. Dr. Conrad is already in there, along with Dr. Tanner. We will let you know something as soon as we find out."

"But…"

"I need to go, Arizona. We will let you know as soon as we know."

Arizona pulls Callie back a little farther, deciding that it may be best that she can't see in the room right now. "Calliope, I know you are scared, but what happened?"

Trying to calm herself down, Callie finally pulls back a little bit. "She… she….,"

"She what? Calliope?"

"She almost quit breathing. Her respirations dropped and, and, and she… she w...was down to almost n...nothing," Callie manages to get out before she is breaking down once again.

Now that she is processing what is actually happening, Arizona holds back a sob, knowing she needs to be strong for Callie. The two of them hold of to each other, not even attempting to let go. After what feels like forever, but what was only a matter of minutes, the monitors quiet down, causing both women to fear the worst. Callie lets go of Arizona and runs back to the room, only to be met with Dr. Conrad at the door.

"Callie…" Dr Conrad tries to stop her but she runs past her and into the room, to see a vent has been started on her little girl.

"What's going on?" Arizona asks, as she also rushes past Dr. Conrad, to get into the room just behind Callie.

"We have had to intubate her. As you know, her respirations were almost down to zero. We are getting labs rushed now and ordering some tests. She is stable for now but we will know more in a little bit. I'm sorry."

The medical personnel in the room eventually get things squared away, and leave Callie and Arizona, along with a few nurses in the room.

Holding onto Katie's hand, Callie begins to cry again. "This is all my fault."

"No. Not, it's not, Calliope. It's not."

"Yes, it is! You said it was a bad idea and I didn't listen to you!"

"I know what I said, but you were right, Calliope. I told you that. You were right to put her in the trial. I know that now. We needed to try this. We don't even know what happened yet. Just… be patient. We will get answers."

"We do know. It's not a coincidence that this happened within an hour of starting this stupid trial. We know that's what caused it."

"No, we don't. I mean, I know how it looks, but just be patient until we have more answers."

Callie can't help but blame herself as she continues to cry, sitting down beside her daughter and leaning over the side of the bed. Eventually, Callie falls asleep, with both hands wrapped around Katie's little arm, with Arizona feeling helpless.

Needing some answers, Arizona quietly gets up to go find Dr. Conrad. Making her way towards the nurses station, she can see Dr. Conrad looking over something on her tablet, with Katie's monitors being watched beside her.

"Dr. Conrad."

"Dr. Robbins. I just pulled up her labs. Care to look with me?"

Arizona nods, making her way to look at the screen alongside her.

"Dr. Robbins, look at this," Dr. Conrad says, pointing to something on the screen. "I don't think this is a reaction to the meds at all. Everything here looks good. There is nothing at all that would indicate a reaction to the meds."

Looking over her shoulder, Arizona concentrates on the screen. "I would agree. I'm not sure what happened, but I don't think it was a reaction to the meds either. I… am actually kind of at a loss," Arizona says, standing back as she tries to process the events of the day, wracking her brain to come up with anything that could have caused Katie's breathing issues. "You know, I don't know that it was anything other than a momentary relapse in her condition. I mean, even though everything has been on the right track with her meds, and we have been seeing improvement, but I guess I kind of let my guard down. You tend to forget with this disease that you can't get too comfortable, that it is so unpredictable."

"I understand. Seems like this little girl has had it rougher than most. That's why when I heard of her case, I couldn't wait to get her in the trial. I think she has the potential to really benefit if this doesn't scare her mom off."

"Yeah, I'm not sure she will continue with the trial after this," Arizona says, shaking her head. "She was so determined that Katie needed this, but I think that she will let this keep her from continuing."

"And what do you think?" Dr. Conrad asks, turning to face Arizona more directly.

"I agree with your assessment. I think continuing the trial is still in Katie's best interest. If nothing else, this has shown us that we cannot let our guard down, no matter how well she seems to be doing."

"Well, let's go talk to her. Since we discontinued the meds until we knew what was going on, we need to find out if she wants to continue, so we can start the drip again. It's important we try to stay as on schedule as much as possible," Dr. Conrad says, starting to head towards Katie's room."

"Actually, Dr. Conrad, if you don't care, I'd like to talk to Calliope myself. If I know her, she is going to be resistant. It might be better if I go in alone."

Nodding her head, Dr. Conrad says, "Ok. I will be here when she has made a decision. For now, I'lll keep monitoring her. We will see how she is in a little while... Hopefully we can pull her back off the vent when her muscles regain some function."

"Thank you." Arizona takes a deep breath and makes her way into Katie's room, stopping next to the brunette, who stirs as she hears Arizona coming to stand next to her.

"Hey," Arizona says, leaning down to put her arm around the brunette, who quickly stands up.

"She's ok," Arizona whispers, as Callie wraps both arms around Arizona's neck.

Both women stay like that for a little while, just feeling the need to be close to the other. Callie finally pulls back and turns around so the are both facing the small brunette in the bed.

"What is Dr. Conrad saying?"

"Um, she doesn't think that Katie's lowered respirations were a result of the trial."

"Yeah… Right. Of course she doesn't," Callie scoffs, shaking her head. This wasn't a coincidence, Arizona. Katie hasn't had any setbacks in weeks. She has been fine. Improving even!" Callie whispers loudly, hoping to not bother Katie.

"I understand that, but I agree with her, Callie. Looking over her lab results, there's nothing that would indicate that this was a reaction to the meds. I think we were getting a little too comfortable and thinking we had everything behind us. This… this is a terrible, terrible disease, Calliope, and I think it was just a bad coincidence that the setback coincided with the start of the trial."

"So... what? You think we should just continue with the trial then?" Callie asks, with both eyebrows raised and her hands held out in disbelief."

"Yes, I do. I know that you are skeptical right now, but…."

"Skeptical? Are you kidding me? Katie is on a vent right now, Arizona. First you don't want her to do the trial, and now you want me to keep her in it, after she ends up on a vent?"

Taking a breath and choosing her words very carefully, Arizona nods. "I know the timing is terrible, but I would not, under any circumstance, want you to make a decision that would put her in jeopardy. I hate… hate… that this happened today. But I think continuing is the best option, since this isn't related to the trial."

"I just don't understand you. I mean, you are the one who didn't want me to put her in the trial to begin with. And now that she can hardly breathe on her own, you want me to keep her in it? Just… unbelievable," Callie says, walking out in the hallway.

"Callie… wait." Arizona rushes out in the hallway behind her, trying to get Callie to wait. "Calliope," Arizona says again, when Callie still ignores her, continuing to walk down the hall. "Calliope," she tries, one more time, but is startled when Callie abruptly stops and whirls around to face her.

"I need a minute, Arizona. I need a minute to gather my thoughts without hearing from you that I am making the wrong decisions again."

"Callie… that's not what I said. I understand every decision you have made. I mean, we just talked about it."

"Arizona, please, let me just have a few minutes. Just… text me if something changes."

"Calliope, no. Don't go. We need to talk about this. We just said earlier that we would talk things through. Please… let's talk."

Exhaling a deep breath, Callie agrees and Arizona leads them to the empty conference room and closes the door.

"Thank you. I know that we are seeing this differently, but please, hear what I have to say, and then you can tell me what you are thinking."

"Ok."

"I don't believe that this trial has anything to do with her setback today. If it did, I wouldn't even recommend keeping her in the trial. This only just proves how right you are, Callie… That we have to hope this trial works. She needs the opportunity to see if this will help. I don't want this to keep happening to her Calliope. This whole thing is scary as hell and I don't know what tomorrow brings, hell, even later today, but I do know that Katie would have went through what happened today, with or without the trial. And I don't want to think of a lifetime of today happening, over and over again. "

Shaking her head, Callie sighs and leans back against the wall. "You know, I hardly ever wonder why this is happening to Katie… to us. Why we have to constantly be worried about whether she is going to make it from one day to the other. I'm a doctor and I have a kid that I can't heal. There's nothing I can do to help her. I feel like a failure."

Sitting down next to Callie Arizona reaches over and takes her hand. "I know, sweetie, I know."

Sitting there in silence for a few seconds, Callie closes her eyes. "We will keep her in the trial. You're right. I think we let our guard down and today was the wake up call to make sure we keep doing everything we can do to help her. I… I'm still nervous, because I think maybe the trial did contribute to it, but, you are right. We have to keep going. I don't want to keep going through a lifetime of what happened today if there is even the slightest chance this trial will help."

Relieved, Arizona squeezes Calie's hand and leans over to kiss the top of Callie's head, which is now resting on top of Arizona's shoulder, then lays her head on top of Callie's. They stay like that for a few minutes, then Arizona straightens up and stands, pulling Callie up with her.

"Let's go see our girl," Arizona says, pulling Callie towards Katie's room.

"Wait," Callie says, stopping Arizona right before they head back into the room.

"What's wrong?" Arizona asks, worried.

"I owe you an apology. I know I have been all over the board. I know we haven't seen eye to eye on everything, but in the end, I think we have made a pretty good team. A great team. I really do. I think even though we might not see eye to eye sometimes, we really even each other out. Katie and I are very lucky to have you. You are my rock and I don't know what I do without you."

"You never have to find out, Calliope. I love you both, more than I could ever possibly express with words. Now, let's go back in there and be with our girl. She needs us."


End file.
